Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups - Disclosure and Barring Service

Guidance on disclosure and barring arrangements

Useful advice and guidance on disclosure and barring arrangements under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 (as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012).

• Regulated Activity - Children 
• Regulated Activity - Adults 
• Statutory supervision guidance
• Disclosure and Barring Supporting Information Questions and Answers

Changes to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (NI) Order 2007 by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012

Useful advice and guidance on the changes to disclosure and barring arrangements, made by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, which amended the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (NI) Order 2007.

These relate to the changes which came into operation on 10 September 2012:

• Changes to disclosure and barring: what you need to know 
• Changes to the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1979 

DBS referral and decision-making guidance

Guidance documents about making referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (formerly the Independent Safeguarding Authority) and about the DBS Decision Making Process, are available from the DBS website.

Legislation

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 makes provision for checking persons seeking to work with children or vulnerable adults, and for barring those considered to be unsuitable for such posts, whether in paid employment or voluntary work. Similar legislation, the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, is in place for England and Wales.

Full details of the Order and Act are available at legislation.gov.uk.

• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006

The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 , which makes changes to the provision under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (NI) Order 2008 and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 can also be accessed at legislation.gov.uk.

• The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 

The provisions in the Order, and the changes made to those provisions by the Protection of Freedoms Act, will be implemented in Northern Ireland by a number of pieces of secondary legislation and each Statutory Rule will be added to this website when it is made.

To date the following secondary legislation has been made:

• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (2007 Order) (Commencement No. 1) Order (Northern Ireland) 2008 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Transitional Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2008 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Prescribed Criteria) (Transitional Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Barring Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Barred List Prescribed Information) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (2007 Order) (Commencement No. 2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2008 
• The Care Tribunal (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Prescribed Criteria) (Foreign Offences) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Transitory Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009 (Revoked 12/10/10) 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Prescribed Criteria and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Prescribed Information) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (2007 Order) (Commencement No. 3) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009
• The Care Tribunal (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Regulated Activity, Transitional Provisions and Commencement No.4) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Miscellaneous Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (2007 Order) (Commencement No. 5, Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (2007 Order) (Commencement No. 6 and Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (2007 Order) (Commencement No. 5, Transitional Provisions and Savings) (Amendment)) Order (Northern Ireland) 2010 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Regulated Activity, Devolution Alignment and Miscellaneous Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2010 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Prescribed Criteria and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Barred Lists: Scotland) Order (Northern Ireland) 2010 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Prescribed Criteria and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order (Northern Ireland) 2012 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Miscellaneous Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2012 
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (2007 Order) (Commencement No. 7) Order (Northern Ireland) 2012
• The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (Commencement No. 2) Order 2012 
• The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (Commencement No. 3) Order 2012 

Consultation

A public consultation on the barring process was held in summer 2007. The results were published on 14 November 2007.

Also concluded was a second, wide-ranging, formal consultation on implementation of the scheme.

The consultation closed on 20 February 2008 and the results were published on 30 May 2008.

View both of these sets of results. This will require registration. 

Useful links

• Disclosure and Barring Service
• Department of Education
• Access Northern Ireland
• Care Tribunal

Contact DHSSPS

Queries in relation to disclosure and barring policy and legislation can be emailed to svgni@health-ni.gov.uk.

We aim to respond to emails within 5 working days.