The Manifesto Club's Campaign Against Vetting has changed the national debate on child protection regulations. Many of our key demands - such as 'No vetting for under-18s' (see our report, 'An Education in Mistrust') - were incorporated into the New Labour government's Singleton Review in December 2009. On 15 June 2010, the new coalition government Home Secretary, Theresa May, finally announced a review of the vetting and barring scheme, repeating our criticism that vetting assumes people are 'guilty until proven innocent', and that it is seriously damaging the voluntary sector.
We need your help to ensure this campaign can continue.
If the vetting database goes ahead, over nine million adults will have to pay £64 to the Criminal Records Bureau and the Independent Safeguarding Authority. This fee will pay for them to be monitored by bureaucrats.
We are asking people to donate this amount to support the Campaign Against Vetting. This donation will help to ensure that the vetting database never happens (and also to help us take on CRB checks, photo-bans, and other suspicious child protection rules over the next year).
If you donate to this campaign, you have the option of joining a Campaign Against Vetting Supporters list, to make a public statement against overcautious child protection policies. You can also have hard copies of all Campaign Against Vetting reports over the next year.
(Of course, if you can't afford to donate £64 then give what you can - every little bit helps.)
If you want to know any more about this campaign, or want to get practically involved, do get in touch (Josie.Appleton@manifestoclub.com)
Josie Appleton, convenor, Manifesto Club
