Voluntary work with children threatened as government cuts disclosure agency

Staff at a body set up after the Dunblane massacre face the sack as government funding is to be cut to less than half that needed.

Staff at the Central Registered Body in Scotland (CRBS), set up by the Scottish Government on a recommendation by Lord Cullen's report on the massacre, were told on 5 October that they had five days to opt for voluntary redundancy or face compulsory redundancies.

The body, run by Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS) and funded directly by the Scottish Government, enables voluntary organisations that work with children to register and get disclosure checks on volunteers and employees free.

UNISON said that they had been told by the Chief Executive, George Thomson, that government funding had been dramatically cut - leaving the body £115,000 short for 2009/10.

James Douglas, Stirling Branch Secretary of UNISON, who represent the staff at CRBS said, “This is a disgraceful cut by the Scottish Government, which will hit both dedicated staff and valuable services to our kids.

“Providing such a vital agency with less than half of their required funding threatens most of the staff with either voluntary or compulsory redundancy.

“If this happens the work of CRBS will immediately start to pile up, and eventually voluntary organisations - especially small ones - working with children will be unable to get volunteers or staff checked, they won't be able to use them, and in many cases will have to close.”

The union is also questioning the management of the crisis by VDS. James said, “To pressure staff to take decisions on their whole future in less than five days, to impose a pay freezes whilst still engaging expensive consultants shows the wrong priorities.

“Before rushing headlong into compulsory redundancies CRBS and VDS need to point out to government the implications of their cuts, and to talk to staff unions about alternatives.”

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