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 should parents, carers and guardians 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.
All requests need to be made through contacting the police on the non-emergency number 101.
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 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.
What is the process for members of the public to make an application under the CSODS
As noted overleaf, individuals wishing to make an application should first contact West Yorkshire Police through the non-emergency number. The information taken during the initial telephone call 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.
West Yorkshire Police will only release information if there is a need to protect a child, and it will only be given to the person who is best placed to protect the child. The information is shared on a confidential basis, for the sole purpose of protecting the child(ren) named in the application.
Key contacts and for more information
You can contact the Leeds Police Safeguarding Unit at:
leeds.safeguarding@westyorkshire.pnn.police.uk
Duty and Advice: 0113 376 0336 (out of hours: 0113 240 9536)
You can find out more about the scheme from the online
practitioner guidance.
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