Big Brother database to protect children against paedophiles has gone too far, says Soham report chief



A massive vetting system set up to safeguard children and the elderly has come under fire from Sir Michael Bichard - the man whose report into the Soham murders led to its creation.



One in four adults in Britain will have to be screened by the Independent Safeguarding Authority when it goes live next month, before they are allowed to work in any job involving access to children.

It could even cover those who do no more than give neighbours' or friends' children lifts to sports or club events.



Millions of Britons will be placed on a new database to prevent a repeat of the Soham murders in 2002, where Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were killed

As opposition to the massive expansion of state vetting of ordinary people grew yesterday, children's minister Baroness Morgan claimed the plans would help protect children from a repeat of 'the very tragic events with the murders in Soham'.

But within hours Sir Michael Bichard, the former Whitehall mandarin who conducted the inquiry into the Soham killings, called for a review of the ISA's rules, suggesting the new restrictions on millions of ordinary adults were a disproportionate response to the threat posed by paedophiles.

The Conservatives added to the pressure by pledging to curb the ISA dramatically if they win the next General Election.

Ian Huntley was given a job as caretaker at Jessica and Holly's school because allegations of sex with underage girls were not passed on

The ISA will become the world's largest vetting and checking system when it starts work next month, checking the backgrounds of an estimated 11.3million adults in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Anyone whose work brings them into contact with children will have to undergo checks costing £64, including all teachers, doctors, nurses dentists, pharmacists, prison officers, and school governors and dinner ladies.



Most controversially, parents who give lifts to friends' children to attend a football match or Cubs' evening will have to be vetted in all cases where the arrangements are made through the club or organisation.

Parents will also need official clearance before giving up their free time to visit their child's school occasionally to help youngsters learn to read. Adults breaching the rules could face a £5,000 fine, as can clubs which make use of unvetted volunteers - enough to put many small groups out of business.

Critics say the measures are excessive, warning that they could strangle local organisations which rely on volunteers, and poison ordinary relationships between adults and children by viewing every grown-up as a potential paedophile or killer.

Yesterday Baroness Morgan insisted they represented a ' proportionate, common-sense system'.



Target: Parents face a £5,000 fine for driving their children's friends to sport events and Cub Scout meetings when the Independent Safeguarding Authority is launched next month (picture posed by models)

She said: 'Ultimately, safeguarding children is this government's priority...if we have a repeat of events like Soham then I think we would quite rightly be asked why we didn't do more.'



But the minister's use of the highly emotive murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman to justify the policy immediately ran into trouble, because questions arose over whether the ISA rules would have prevented Ian Huntley from carrying out the killings in 2002.

The idea for the ISA was born from Sir Michael's report into the murders and the police inquiry.



Outraged: Children's author Philip Pullman has pledged to stop giving readings in schools in protest at the scheme

Yesterday Sir Michael voiced his misgivings about the ISA and specifically questioned the definition of 'frequent or intensive' contact with children which require an adult to be vetted - which is taken to mean any contact which happens twice a month, or on three consecutive days or overnight.

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Sir Michael told Radio 4's World at One: 'The issue is whether it is proportionate. It will be necessary over time to review the definition of what is frequent or intensive.'

Later Baroness Morgan's staff appeared to back-pedal from her earlier claims linking the scheme to the Soham murders.

A spokesman said: 'We are not considering this from the point of view that it would've have prevented Soham.

'The Bichard Inquiry findings showed the need for better information-sharing and that such sharing needs to be nationally coordinated to work most effectively.'



Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said: 'This scheme cannot be allowed to go ahead in this way. We would review the whole safeguarding process and scale it back so that common sense applies.'

It emerged that a quirk of the ISA's rules will mean convicted paedophiles and criminals could still be cleared to take up sensitive jobs.



Officials disclosed that the ISA will compile two separate lists - one covering those banned from working with children, and one relating to old people.

This could mean that a paedophile barred from working with youngsters could still be allowed to work in an old people's home.



