Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme launched
03/05/2009
A pioneering scheme has been launched across North Yorkshire which improves protection for children in our communities.
The Child Sex Offender Disclosure scheme went live across North Yorkshire on 1 August following successful pilots in other parts of the country.
As part of a national phased roll-out, North Yorkshire joined eight other forces who will adopt the scheme this year, providing added reassurance to parents worried about those in contact with their children.
Detective Chief Inspector Kerrin Smith, Head of the Protecting Vulnerable Persons (PVP) Unit at North Yorkshire Police said: "The Disclosure Scheme is a major development in protecting children and we welcome the expansion into North Yorkshire.
“Protecting children from harm is a major priority for us and the new arrangements will provide us with an enhanced ability to protect children as well as empowering parents and carers to keep their children safe. It is essential that they have the ability to raise their own concerns and have some informed control over who they allow close to their children.”
The Scheme works by giving parents, guardians, carers of children or other interested parties, the means to ask if an individual who has access to their child is checked to see whether they have a record of committing child sexual offences.
If the person is found to have convictions for sexual offences against children, and poses a risk of causing serious harm to the children concerned, then this information may be disclosed to the person best placed to protect the child, usually the parent, carer or guardian.
North Yorkshire Police have set up a dedicated phone line - 01609 768003 -for members of the public to call. It will be staffed by a trained operator in the Force Control Room who will pass the information on to specially trained officers who deal with public protection issues.
The Public Protection officers are responsible for making contact with the member of the public, obtaining full details to enable them to research the named individual and assess what risk that person may pose to the child.
This involves working with a wide range of partners such as the Probation Service, health services and local authorities. Once all the information is considered, a risk assessment will be carried out and a decision on whether a disclosure is to be given will be made. This takes into account whether the individual concerned is a risk to the child or another child and also who is best placed to protect the child from that individual. For example a concerned grandparent may make the enquiry but the disclosure may actually be made to the parent and not the grandparent.
Chief Inspector Smith added: “It is imperative that if any member of the public has any form of concern that they contact the police. Do not hesitate, no matter how insignificant you may think it is, your information may be very important and could help to keep a child safe. We may not know about it unless you make the call.”