The Independent Safeguarding Authority
The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) was created to help prevent unsuitable people from working or volunteering with children or vulnerable adults.
The Bichard Inquiry was commissioned following the murders of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. The Inquiry’s recommendations led to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Group Act 2006 (ISA factsheet/the act) from which the ISA was created to vet and make decisions about who can work with vulnerable people. This is achieved by working in partnership with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) to gather relevant information on every person wanting to work with vulnerable people, young people and children.The CRB will receive applications on behalf of ISA and will gather and monitor information. It will also use the information previously found in: • the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) list;• the Protection of Children Act (PoCA) list; • List 99 (a list of people considered unsuitable for work with children, held by the Department for Children, Schools and Families).The ISA will then assess this information and decide whether to give the individual concerned ISA registration or put them on one of the ISA Barred Lists.
