Disclosure scheme attempts to find compromise
Many of us might find it hard to imagine a situation where we would ask police to compile a report on another adult – not because we suspected them of any wrong-doing but simply on the off-chance that they happened to be a sex offender.
But this is exactly what dozens of parents have done in Warwickshire over the past six months.
The disclosure scheme is designed to reassure people that their new boyfriend, the gardener or a local lollipop lady poses no danger to their children.
They do not need to have any reason to be suspicious in order to request a check. It is available simply to give parents peace of mind.
Indeed, if the police reveal that a person is a convicted sex offender, the only thing a parent can do about it is to try to keep that person away from their children. One assumes they would do this, anyway, if they already had fears about their child’s safety.
This Home Office scheme is not so much about helping people who have specific concerns, based on worrying behaviour. It is really about helping those who fear that any adult in their life, even those they are closest to, could be a potential paedophile.
The fact that such an initiative exists suggests that there is a high level of concern among parents about sexual abuse.
Whether these worries are justified is a matter for debate.
But the fears of parents have undoubtedly been stoked by the way the issue has been reported in parts of the media.
The disclosure scheme is an attempt to find a compromise with supporters of “Sarah’s Law”, proposed legislation which would make the names and addresses of convicted paedophiles available for all to see.
Something similar already happens in the United States but the Government believes it would do more harm than good by encouraging convicted sex offenders to hide instead of co-operating with probation and other services.
What is unclear, despite the reassurances offered by Warwickshire Police, is whether the scheme operating in the UK will be any less damaging.
Will every parent who learns someone in their lives has a conviction for sexual offences keep the information to themselves?
Or will they share the information with others, creating exactly the same problem as Sarah’s Law?
This is a measure which may eventually make the world a more dangerous rather than a safer place for children.
