Government refuses to u-turn on new law which charities say ‘could put children at risk’  

Houghton and Sunderland South MP, Bridget Phillipson has spoken out against the Government’s decision not to fix a loophole in the ‘Protection of Freedoms Bill’ which charities have warned could put children at ‘risk’. Children’s charity, the NSPCC, has warned a loophole in the bill allows for schools not to be told whether a prospective volunteer has been barred from working with children. Page 4 of NSPCC’s briefing to MPs states: “A person might be barred from regulated activity, but would then be able to move into non regulated activity with children without sanction and without employers necessarily being alerted......