Ann Craft Trust
ACTing Against the Abuse of Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities

ISA Registration: the dividing line?

The Ann Craft Trust is one of the leading charities committed to safeguarding disabled children and vulnerable adults from abuse and we applaud the safeguarding initiatives that are being introduced to enhance the protection of all children and vulnerable adults.   The recent publicity concerning ISA registration has given the impression that all parents will have to register – this is not the case. 

“As a parent I would be concerned be asked to register with the ISA (Independent Safeguarding Authority) if a few friends including myself took it in turns to run the children to their sports matches.  As a parent I would be equally concerned if a parent who had formally agreed with the club to transport children to the matches was not ISA registered.  There is a huge difference here – the former represents parents making informal arrangements and the latter places the parent in the formal role of a volunteer” says Deborah Kitson, CEO, Ann Craft Trust.                                                                             
Surely there are few parents who would not willingly register if taking on volunteering responsibility – not to do so would leave a loophole in the new system that would allow anyone finding it harder to abuse in registered services, due to the recent increased safeguards, to access contact with children and vulnerable adults without being checked. We know that those people who want to abuse children and vulnerable adults will tease out the loopholes and take advantage of them – we do not want to offer them that opportunity.
 

Note to Editors

1. The Ann Craft Trust works with staff in the statutory, independent and voluntary sectors to protect disabled children and vulnerable adults who may be at risk from abuse.  We also provide training in all aspects of safeguarding.  www.anncrafttrust.org.
2. For further discussions please contact Deborah Kitson, CEO, Ann Craft Trust or Rachael Clawson, Development Manager – Safeguarding Disabled Children Services, Ann Craft Trust.  

14 September 2009

The Ann Craft Trust is a registered charity No. 1086592 and is a company limited by guarantee No. 4080805. © 2010 Ann Craft Trust: Protecting People with Learning Disabilities from Abuse. All Rights Reserved.

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