Independent Safeguarding Authority

I came across a news article this morning concerning the above Quango which was created as a result of the Soham murder investigations. The ISA is the organisation in the UK which holds the register of people who "are" and "are not" allowed to work or volunteer their time with children.

Take into consideration, this is an organisation that already assumes "guilt" until it has been proven that you are NOT a paedophile. The database has some 11.3 million people already registered on it, that's 20% of the population. Even if you are a parent who accompanies children on a school trip, you have to pay the £64 to register to be vetted and then allowed the privilege to volunteer your kindness, time and patience!

One of the founding members Sir Michael Bichard has already criticised the organisation during the recent debacle when it was announced by the Home Office that authors visiting schools to give talks would have to register.

He said "the system he had examined in 2004 had been “a mess” and he believed the UK was moving towards a “much better” scheme under which tutors, sports coaches and other people with access to children would have to be registered. But he warned: “What I didn’t want was a disproportionate response. I made it very clear that I didn’t want parents to have to check relatives before they could put their children in their care for babysitting and things like that.

“We must have proportionate arrangements. We mustn’t over-react.”

Yes, you guessed it, as usual, give a quango some power and soon they will take things too far!

You are considered to be a paedophile if you are lonely!

"The Government’s new anti-paedophile database will take into account lifestyles, relationships and beliefs when assessing the backgrounds of more than 11million people, rather than just whether they have a criminal record.

The Independent Safeguarding Authority can consider unproven allegations made in newspaper reports or tip-offs from members of the public, as well as trawling internet chatrooms and websites such as Facebook for evidence to use against applicants.

From next month, some employers will be under a legal duty to pass on information if they think a member of staff poses a risk. Anyone judged to be a danger is banned from working with children, the elderly or homeless people in any capacity".

What on earth is going on? I do hope the next government gets to grips with these Quangoes. The Chair (Roger Singleton is a Government advisor), Chief Executive and Board members consists mainly of a list of, as far as I can see, unqualified (labour orientated?) jobsworths who are obviously raking in some bloody good salaries, all at the taxpayers expense and another database for big brother to link to all the others!

Their website gives no clue as to how much this shambolic organisation is costing everyone.. but trawling around, I found this :

CLICK TO ENLARGE

It seems that since it's inception, this organisation has cost the taxpayer NEARLY £80MILLION!