Child protection scheme rolled out to more forces
A scheme that allows parents to find out whether people with access to their family are sex offenders will be extended to a further 11 police forces this month.
The child sex offender disclosure scheme provides members of the public with a way to check whether people who have contact with their children are a possible risk. The police will pass on information if it will help keep a child safe.
The scheme is expanding to 11 additional forces, taking the total number of areas covered to 24. The remaining forces will come onboard by next spring.
Reassurance to parents
The Home Secretary said that the further roll-out was, ‘an important step forward for child protection in this country and will mean even more children are protected from potential harm’.
She continued: ‘These checks provide reassurance to parents, carers and the wider community and also assist the police in managing known sex offenders living in the community more effectively’, she said.
The new forces are:
- Staffordshire
- Sussex
- Leicestershire
- Wiltshire
- Cheshire
- Durham
- Northumbria
- Dorset
- Lincolnshire
- Surrey
- Gloucestershire
Find out more about the scheme and see the full list of forces taking part.
New website to protect children
A new website - Parents Protect! - set up by Stop it Now! UK and Ireland and the Lucy Faithfull Foundation has also been launched to raise awareness of the issue of child sexual abuse. It provides parents and carers with information that will help protect children.