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Children's authors face safety vetting

26.09.08 Caroline Horn

Children's authors who visit schools and libraries more than once a month will need to register with a new body responsible for safeguarding children as of October 2009, according to new regulations.
A new organisation, the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), will take on responsibility for vetting and barring unsuitable people from working with children from autumn 2009. These checks are currently handled by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), which in future will work alongside the ISA to check the records of all those working with children.

The Society of Authors says its members are increasingly asked to provide Criminal Records Bureau certificates when they visit schools as a result of demands from Ofsted for better record-keeping by schools. Ofsted itself states that authors visiting schools "do not need to have a CRB check but they should not be left alone with the children".

In future, authors will need to be registered with the ISA even if they are supervised "because there is a chance for authors to build up a trusting relationship with the child", said a spokesperson for the organisation. Many authors also now communicate with their readers online, following events in schools and libraries or via their own websites.

The regulations will also apply to any organised activities such as volunteer reading help or book fairs in schools. Any adult who works with children "frequently"—once a month or more—needs to be registered with the ISA, even if the activity is with different children.

Authors and others working with children will have to pay a one-off fee of £64 to have their details checked. Volunteers will not, however, need to pay the registration fee.

Once the regulations are in force, it will be a criminal offence for an employer to take on an individual in "regulated activity" (once a month or more) if they fail to check that person's status. It will also be an offence for employers to allow an unregistered individual to work with children for any length of time in a regulated activity. 

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Caroline Horn libraries children's Home

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Comments on this article

By RobC

Would such legislation apply to booksellers? I know of many former colleagues who were effectively babysitters in the children's section while their parents toddled off to the cafe, or even out of the store.

26 Sep 08 07:37

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By Phelim McIntyre

So if an author goes in regularly to libraries or schools on a regular basis but less than once a month (even once evey two months) they don't need to be vetted? And what about events with children's authors in Waterstones, W H Smiths and other bookshops in the run up to a new title or during literary festivals. Will they need vetting too? And who is to pay? And what about children's booksellers and children's librarians in local non-school librares, or mobile libraries. Are they vetted under the new scheme?

26 Sep 08 08:21

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By Robert Muchamore

I've encountered quite a bit of hassle from schools who don't understand the current system, so on the whole this is a good thing. It irons out the anomaly that individuals couldn't apply for their own CRB certificates. Not everyone who deals with kids is a teacher, scout master or whatever. RobC raises an interesting question about booksellers, publicists etc who work with kids in shops and also go into schools with authors to help out and sell books. Personally £64 isn't a problem, but I can sympathize with an independent bookseller, small publisher (or even new author) faced with a bill of hundreds of pounds to get their staff certified.

26 Sep 08 09:00

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By David R N Livesley - Woodstock Vermont

Whilst I would support this proposal I do question the need for such 'nanny state' ISA regulation if as already happens all visits are supervised. Has there been any case of an author of repute molesting kids in a school/shop/public place??? If one wants to molest children one now has to pay 64 quid to do it.....admittedly you only get one shot at it but if you do not have a criminal record you're in! This is ridiculous.... How many authors are on the sex offenders register? Any author worth their commercial salt is not going to molest their potential audience and livelyhood are they!

27 Sep 08 02:23

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By David Lee Stone

I think these checks are very important to uphold the safety of children in schools. I had one done myself, when I became a literacy governor at my own local primary, and I certainly don't see it as a bad thing. Authors are plainly visitors to schools, in the same way that members of any other profession are. To be honest, I'm surprised these checks haven't come in before.

28 Sep 08 10:47

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By JimmyP

I wonder if members of the clergy are subjected to same scrutiny? Personally, I don't know why anyone would want to work with kids these days. Ashame some parents are not vetoed by police checks...Be a better way of clamping down on child abuse!

28 Sep 08 11:27

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By Jeremy Hummerstone

People like Edward Lee Stone seem to have swallowed the teaching that our children now belong to the State and should at all times be in the control of "professionals". How long before parents themselves have to prove that they are fit to be with their own children?

29 Oct 08 19:01

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By Liz Butler

OFSTED's revenge for JK Rowling's Dolores Umbridge? Time for other children's authors to satirise the pomposity of those who go on and on about Children's Rights but remove their right to liberty now and when they grow up.

12 Dec 08 22:21

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