One minute guide: Child sex offenders disclosure scheme - Sarah's Law

What is the Child Sex Offenders Disclosure Scheme

The Child Sex Offenders Disclosure Scheme (CSODS) was adopted by West Yorkshire Police in March 2011 and nationally shortly afterwards. Under the scheme, a parent, carer, guardian or another interested party can ask the police to check whether someone who has access to their children has a record of committing child sexual offences. If they are found to have convictions for sexual offences against children and pose a risk of causing serious harm to the child or children concerned, then this information may be disclosed.

The scheme is sometimes referred to as ‘Sarah’s Law’, named after eight-year-old Sarah Payne, who was abducted and murdered by Roy Whiting, a man who had already been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for previous offences. Sarah’s mother, Sara Payne, had campaigned for a number of years for the government to allow the public controlled access to the Sex Offenders Register so parents could know if a child sex offender was living in their area.

This is similar to the ’Megan’s Law’ legislation in the US state of California, which makes information available to the public about registered sex offenders.

How parents, carers and guardians should use the scheme if they have concerns

West Yorkshire Police administer the scheme through their Child and Public Protection Units; disclosures cannot be made by any other officers.

Requests can be made through the police online form, by visiting a police station in person, or by calling 101, the police non-emergency telephone number.

For requests made through the 101 number, call handlers have been trained to respond to these requests and will need to take some details about the applicant, the child(ren) they feel may be at risk, the person they are concerned about and the contact this person has with the child(ren) in question.

If parents, carers and guardians you are working with disclose any information that causes you to suspect that a child may be at risk of significant harm, you must contact the Children’s Services Duty and Advice Team to discuss your concerns with them.

If anyone believes that a child is at immediate risk, they must contact the police on the 999 emergency number.

Process for members of the public to make an application under the CSODS

As noted above, individuals wishing to make an application should first contact West Yorkshire Police via the online form, the police 101 non-emergency telephone number or in person at a police station. The initial information provided will be used to complete relevant checks of police information within 24 hours in order to determine whether immediate safeguarding action needs to be taken.

Applicants are also asked at this stage whether they consent to the information they have provided being shared with other relevant agencies, such as the Children’s Social Work Service, the probation service and colleagues in health.

Following this initial contact, a police officer from the Child and Public Protection Unit will visit the applicant to ask further questions and obtain additional relevant information in support of the application. Applicants will also be asked to provide proof of identity and proof of their relationship to the children named in the application. From this information, further checks will be made and risk assessments undertaken, which will inform the decision whether or not to disclose information.

Any disclosure by West Yorkshire Police will only be made to the parent, guardian or carer best placed to protect the child or children. Any third party making an application would not necessarily receive disclosure if they were not best placed to protect the child/children.

Any information disclosed to those best placed to help the child/children is confidential and should not be shared with anyone. It is only given to protect the child/children named in the application from harm. Anyone sharing the information more widely could be subject to criminal or civil proceedings.

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