PEOPLE cautioned by the police for sex offences such as visiting paedophile internet sites will automatically be barred from working with children under safeguards to be presented by Ruth Kelly today.
The Education Secretary, fighting to save her Cabinet career, will announce that she is closing loopholes that have allowed sex offenders to obtain jobs in schools. She will say that public confidence must be restored, The Times has learnt.
Under legislation to be rushed through the Commons over the coming weeks, cautions will be treated in the same way as convictions and people who receive them will be placed on List 99, the Department for Education “blacklist”.
Those barred after receiving a caution will have a right of appeal on human rights grounds to argue that they should not be blacklisted for life.
The recent row began after Paul Reeve, who had been cautioned for accessing a paedophile site, was cleared to work in a Norfolk school. He resigned after police raised concerns with the head teacher.
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Ms Kelly will also say that ministers will be relieved of duties to make judgments in sensitive cases. Those decisions will go to a panel of experts, including psychiatrists, the police and child protection officers.
In a make-or-break statement, Ms Kelly will reveal the results of an “exhaustive” review of cases where people who appeared on the sex offenders register, introduced in 1997, have been allowed to work in schools.
Friends said that Ms Kelly had been “working round the clock” examining the present system, which she will admit has not been working well enough. She will promise to “rebalance” the child protection system for schools to ensure that safety for children was always the most important factor, even if the benefit of the doubt went against workers.
The Education Secretary will promise that legislation bringing in the changes and implementing the Bichard report, which followed the Soham murders, will be introduced next month.
Today’s statement could determine whether Ms Kelly stays in her job, to continue the invidious task of trying to push through Tony Blair’s plans to create self-governing trust schools. Mr Blair voiced his support for her again yesterday, but if the statement fails to calm the storm she could be removed.
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At one stage yesterday rumours swept Westminster that she planned to resign at this morning’s Cabinet meeting.That was swiftly denied.
Mr Blair’s official spokesman, asked whether Ms Kelly had offered to resign since the controversy had erupted, replied: “I’m not aware of any such occasion.” He repeated that the Prime Minister wanted Ms Kelly to remain in her post, saying that “nothing has changed”.
The private healthcare company to which the Department for Education contracted out the vetting of teachers on List 99 defended its role yesterday. AXA PPP said that its staff always made the safety of the child their paramount concern.
A spokesman for the company said: “Our occupational health division provides medical advisory services to the department. The doctors who provide these services are qualified, experienced occupational health physicians.”