Protection of Freedoms Act 2012: safeguarding vulnerable groups

In last month's article on changes to the law protecting vulnerable adults from harm by health and social care professionals, Richard Griffith and Cassam Tengnah discussed changes to be made to Criminal Records Bureau checks. This month's article discusses the changes to the vetting and barring scheme to be introduced under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, which mean that people currently working in regulated activities with vulnerable groups, such as district nurses, will no longer need to register and be monitored by the independent safeguarding authority or its replacement, the Disclosure and Barring Service.