Pre-employment checks designed to prevent abuse of children and vulnerable people in the UK will not include periods when either UK ex-patriots or migrant workers worked overseas, according to the government’s child protection adviser.
Thousands of foreign visitors who work with children in the UK may slip through the net.
Sir Roger Singleton said that there were “significant barriers” to obtaining details of criminal offences committed abroad.
Commenting on the controversial Vetting and Barring Scheme, Singleton said: “There are people from overseas coming to this country to work, and people from this country who have spent part of their time working abroad and then returned. There’s no doubt at all this is a continuing concern.”
He added that the Home Office is working with foreign governments to improve the flow of information, but that data protection provisions often delayed their efforts.
But Singleton admitted that there are no available figures for the number of overseas nationals working with children or vulnerable adults in the UK, reports the Times.
The Vetting and Barring Scheme requires adults who work or volunteer with the same group of children or vulnerable people once a week or more to be vetted.
