The PVG Act requires two lists to be maintained: one which contains the names of all those individuals who are unsuitable to do regulated work with children; and another for those who are unsuitable to do regulated work with protected adults. This chapter explains how the lists are managed and how individuals may be added to, or removed, from them.
The lists are established by section 1 of the PVG Act, and the way in which they are operated runs right through the Act. An understanding of what the lists are and how they are managed is key to a full understanding of the PVG Act and how it affects people doing regulated work.
The PVG Act establishes two lists, as opposed to a single list for all work with vulnerable groups, in recognition of the differences in what makes an individual unsuitable to work with children or protected adults. Experience from elsewhere in the UK, where two lists have been operational for some time, is that there are significant numbers of individuals who should not be barred from both types of regulated work. Some types of case, such as those involving physical or sexual violence, indicate unsuitability to do either type of regulated work. But other cases, for example involving thefts from care home residents, may indicate unsuitability to work with protected adults but may not mean the individual should be barred from regulated work with children. A single list system would need to have a higher threshold for listing than a two list system, where the criteria can be tailored for each list. This would inevitably mean less protection for vulnerable groups.
