The Stage

ISA bad idea

Published Monday 8 March 2010 at 17:55

Your recent comments and concerns about the Independent Safeguarding Authority are well made (“Safe and soundless”, Insight, February 25, pages 6-7). This legislation is disproportionate, potentially dangerous and likely to be counterproductive.

Reading newspapers, listening to rumours and following up anonymous tip-offs seems a rather ill conceived and paranoid response to deal with something which, of course, must be taken seriously and have adequate safeguards. Although it’s good to know how they’ll be spending some of their time, I hope they will appreciate the full extent to which they have responsibility for making these decisions based on this sort of approach and be fully accountable for their conclusions.

It’s been approached in the wrong way. We must trust the law if we are to have any faith in the judicial system and presume the innocence of those who have not been before a court and have no criminal record. Those in positions of responsibility have always had a duty of care towards young people with whom they or their staff work and appropriate checks should have been the norm as part of good practice. Under the new proposals, a vast army of bureaucrats will poke and pry, feeding on speculation, innuendo, rumour and mischief, or worse.

A board of ten making “the very big decisions” about suitability, assessing material which has never been before a court of law or subject to police investigation. All in all a deft bit of empire building within an unprofessional framework and smacking of overkill. This is not the right way and there will be damaging effects and casualties.

There will be no winners, only losers. Children will miss out because opportunities will be denied them. Volunteers will be lost because the £64 fee will discourage them and the seriously understated contribution made by them lost (the voluntary contribution has never been fully recognised or appreciated). Countless smaller organisations will simply withdraw, feeling it’s too onerous to comply. It will be hard to justify the cost of the ISA and the need for its very existence in the proposed form. And are these all-powerful appointees being vetted from top to bottom and who is doing the vetting?

I make these comments as a former senior officer within a large metropolitan authority, having spent 26 years in the youth service. The vetting of adults and the protection of children was all part of good professional practice and, yes, you do have to be vigilant, but most people are genuinely motivated in their work with young people.

I fear theatre, the arts and sport in all its forms will be badly hit by something which is well-intentioned, but ill conceived.

Bernard Hanson

Cherry Orchard

Port Erin

Isle of Man