Current NI legislation, guidance for safeguarding children...

Current legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures within Northern Ireland affecting the safeguarding of children and young people. †¢ Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 This is the principal statute governing the care, upbringing and protection of children in Northern Ireland. It affects all those who work and care for children, whether parents, paid carers or volunteers. The Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 changed the philosophy and practice of the law in relation to children as it reformed, and brought together, most of the public and private law relating to children in a single coherent statutory framework along the lines of the Children Act 1989 in England and Wales[1]. The order is regarded as the most†¦show more content†¦The Order aims to prevent unsuitable people from working (either paid or unpaid) with children or vulnerable adults. It does this by vetting all those who wish to do such work and barring those where the information shows they pose a risk of harm[3]. Increased safeguards have now been introduced under the Vetting and Barring Scheme: - It is a criminal offence for individuals barred by the ISA to work or apply to work with children or vulnerable adults in a wide range of posts - including most NHS jobs, Prison Service, education and childcare. Employers also face criminal sanctions for knowingly employing a barred individual across a wider range of work - Employers, local authorities, professional regulators and other bodies have a duty to refer to the ISA, information about individuals working with children or vulnerable adults where they consider them to have caused harm or pose a risk of harm. Since December 2012 the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has been responsible for maintaining the list of individuals barred from engaging in regulated activity with children and the list of individuals barred from engaging in regulated activity with adults across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This role was formerly carried out by the Independent Safeguarding Authority. A regulated activity provider must refer to the