Vetting rules not robust enough, says department

Employers who work with children and vulnerable adults must be aware that vetting rules are not as robust as they should be and they may not have the “complete picture” about employees, according to the Department of Health.

Senior officials said the level of protection was dependent on the quality of the police information provided from different countries. They pointed out that current vetting rules did not allow for the release of information where no conviction or charge has occurred. This means a “perceived protection” of children and vulnerable adults may not be real, the department said.

The issue was raised in the “risk register”, a document which sets out areas of concern within the department, and received the highest rating possible for likelihood an incident would occur and the impact it would have.