§ Nick HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to include child entertainers in the group of professionals working with children who are screened; and if he will make a statement. [38141]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe child protection provisions in Part 2 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 (CJ) (CSA) provide a new definition of working with children. It includes positions whose normal duties involve caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge of children, and positions whose normal duties involve unsupervised contact with children under arrangements made by a responsible person, for example a parent. Anyone whose paid or unpaid work entertaining children meets one of the definitions included in the legislation would already be covered by its provisions.
These provisions form part of an integrated system for the protection of children. They enable the courts to disqualify unsuitable people from working with children as part of their sentence or the disposal of their case. Those who breach such a disqualification order commit a criminal offence.
The relevant provisions in the CJ and CSA consolidate and strengthen the framework for protecting children. It is none the less important that parents remain vigilant about those circumstances under which they entrust their children to the care of an adult, particularly if they are not present to ensure their children are safe.