Amendment to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill will remove barriers to employment for people who have committed committed crimes in the past but who have put their criminal past behind them.

Nacro welcomes the Child Protection APPG’s All Party Parliamentary Group’s report, ‘Vetting and Disclosures: Getting it Right in Practice’ and believes that the protection of children and vulnerable adults must be afforded the highest priority. We also welcome the report’s call for training for people dealing with information from CRB checks.

Nacro is pleased to see further progress in Lord Dholakia’s Rehabilitation of Offenders (Amendment) private members bill, as it reaches the House of Lords committee stage on Friday July 15.

Nacro is disappointed that details of when and how the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act will be reformed were not in the Ministry of Justice’s response to the Breaking the Cycle Green Paper.

Nacro raised its concerns about changes to the vetting and barring scheme, which are currently going through Parliament.

Nacro’s Change the Record campaign has found further support in the Red Tape Task Force’s call for a reduction in the use of Criminal Records Bureau checks.

The task force, led by Lord Hodgson, spent nine months examining the myriad of rules and regulations which put people off giving their time and money to good causes and stifles the volunteer and charity sector in the UK.

In the current climate of cuts and protests, Tim Linehan, manager of Nacro’s Change the Record campaign, uncovers a little-known effect on young demonstrators’ future careers

Following hot on the heels of the breakthrough draft Freedom Bill announced on Friday 11th February, the Government has now announced that the public will help write the final version of the law in a new ‘public reading stage’.

Today the Government announced changes in its freedom bill which give ex-offenders a fairer chance of finding work, marking another victory for our Change the Record Campaign. The proposals means that another barrier preventing ex-offenders finding work will be removed when the bill is passed.

In response to media leaks ahead of the publication of the Government’s review of vetting and barring and the system for retaining and disclosing criminal records, Tim Linehan, manager of the Change the Record campaign, is in the media discussing the ‘devastating’ impact of the present law on some individuals.

Change the Record has taken a major step forward after getting unanimous support in the House of Lords. The support came during the second reading of the private member’s bill tabled by Nacro President and Lib Dem peer, Lord Dholakia. The bill calls for an amended Act to replace the outdated Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974). All peers who spoke were in support of the proposed reform. At the end of the debate the Minister of Justice Lord McNally said the Government was committed to reforming the ROA.

Five million people watched BBC’s the One Show on January 19 to hear about the impact of CRB checks. It featured a student who turned to Nacro for help when she was almost forced to leave her course because of a minor offence. Nacro’s helpline worked with her college, which has welcomed her back and reviewing their policies.

Olivia Mason’s dream of working with disabled people was almost derailed when a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check resulted in her being thrown off a health care course. Luckily, Nacro’s helpline was on hand to help, but Olivia’s story demonstrates the urgent need to ensure educational establishments apply CRB checks sensibly – and avoid blighting young people’s future before it’s started.

Olivia Mason’s dream of working with disabled people was almost derailed when a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check resulted in her being thrown off a health care course. Luckily, Nacro’s helpline was on hand to help, but Olivia’s story demonstrates the urgent need to ensure educational establishments apply CRB checks sensibly – and avoid blighting young people’s future before it’s started.

Campaign is inundated with positive feedback from the charity sector and the public.