The Inquiry questioned the way employers recruit people to work with vulnerable groups, and particularly the way background checks are carried out. Recommendation 19 of the Inquiry Report highlighted the need for a single agency to vet all individuals who want to work or volunteer with children or vulnerable adults and to bar unsuitable people from doing so.
The Act was created in response to recommendation 19 and the ISA was set up to fulfil this role across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. (Scotland will set up its own similar authority linked to the ISA.)
Full details of the Act are available on the Office of Public Sector Information website (new window) and can be downloaded as a pdf.
