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Part 6Interpretation

91Regulated work

(1)Regulated work means regulated work with children or protected adults.

(2)Regulated work with children is work of the type described in schedule 2.

(3)Regulated work with adults is work of the type described in schedule 3.

(4)References in this Act to types of regulated work are to be construed accordingly.

92Individuals barred from regulated work

(1)An individual is barred from regulated work with children if the individual is—

(a)listed in the children’s list,

(b)included in the children’s barred list maintained under section 2 of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (c. 47),

(c)included (otherwise than provisionally) in the list kept under article 3 of the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, or

(d)an individual falling within subsection (3).

(2)An individual is barred from regulated work with adults if the individual is—

(a)listed in the adults' list,

(b)included in the adults' barred list maintained under section 2 of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (c. 47),

(c)included (otherwise than provisionally) in the list kept under article 35 of the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, or

(d)an individual falling within subsection (4).

(3)An individual falls within this subsection if, under the law of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, any British overseas territory or any other territory or country outwith the United Kingdom, the individual is subject to a prohibition or disqualification which Ministers by order provide corresponds to being barred from regulated work with children by virtue of any of paragraphs (a) to (c) of subsection (1).

(4)An individual falls within this subsection if, under the law of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, any British overseas territory or any other territory or country outwith the United Kingdom, the individual is subject to a prohibition or disqualification which Ministers by order provide corresponds to being barred from regulated work with adults by virtue of any of paragraphs (a) to (c) of subsection (2).

(5)Ministers may by order substitute such other list maintained under the law of England and Wales or, as the case may be, Northern Ireland, which in Ministers' opinion corresponds to the children’s list for a list mentioned in subsection (1)(b) and (c).

(6)Ministers may by order substitute such other list maintained under the law of England and Wales or, as the case may be, Northern Ireland, which in Ministers' opinion corresponds to the adults' list for a list mentioned in subsection (2)(b) or (c).

93Meaning of “harm”

(1)For the purposes of this Act, an individual (“A”) harms another (“B”) if—

(a)A’s conduct causes B physical harm,

(b)A’s conduct causes B psychological harm (for example: by putting B in a state of fear, alarm or distress), or

(c)A engages in unlawful conduct which appropriates or adversely affects B’s property, rights or interests (for example: theft, fraud, embezzlement or extortion),

and references to harm are to be construed accordingly.

(2)For the purposes of this Act, an individual (“C”) places another (“D”) at risk of harm if—

(a)C attempts to harm D,

(b)C incites another to harm D,

(c)C encourages D to self-harm, or

(d)C’s conduct otherwise causes, or is likely to cause, D to be harmed,

and references to being placed at risk of harm are to be construed accordingly.

94Meaning of “protected adult”

(1)For the purposes of this Act, a “protected adult” is an individual aged 16 or over who is provided with—

(a)a service by a person carrying on—

(i)a support service,

(ii)an adult placement service,

(iii)a care home service, or

(iv)a housing support service,

which is registered under Part 1 of the 2001 Act,

(b)a prescribed service—

(i)by a health body acting in exercise of functions conferred by the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 (c. 29),

(ii)which is secured by a health body acting in exercise of such functions,

(iii)by an independent hospital,

(iv)by a private psychiatric hospital,

(v)by an independent clinic, or

(vi)by an independent medical agency,

(c)a community care service—

(i)provided or secured by a council under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 (c. 49) or the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 (asp 13), or

(ii)in respect of which a council has made a direct payment, or

(d)a prescribed welfare service.

(2)Ministers may by order modify subsection (1) in order to change the definition of “protected adult” as they think appropriate.

(3)Expressions used in paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (1) have the same meaning as in the 2001 Act.

(4)In subsection (1)(c)—

(5)In subsection (1)(d), “welfare service” includes any service which provides support, assistance, advice or counselling to individuals with particular needs.

95Meaning of “work”

(1)In this Act “work” means work of any kind and, in particular, includes—

(a)paid and unpaid work,

(b)work under a contract (for example: under a contract of service or apprenticeship or under a contract for services),

(c)carrying out the functions of any office established by virtue of an enactment,

(d)being a foster carer, and

(e)caring for, or supervising, individuals participating in any organised activity,

and references to a “worker” and to “working” are to be construed accordingly.

(2)Despite the generality of subsection (1), “work” does not include work falling within subsection (3) or (4).

(3)Work falls within this subsection if it is done for an individual (“A”)—

(a)in the course of a family relationship, and

(b)for the benefit of A or a member of A’s family.

(4)Work falls within this subsection if it is done for an individual (“B”)—

(a)in the course of a personal relationship,

(b)for no commercial consideration, and

(c)for the benefit of B, a member of B’s family or B’s friend.

(5)A family relationship includes a relationship between two individuals who—

(a)live in the same household, and

(b)treat each other as though they were members of the same family.

(6)A personal relationship is a relationship between or among friends.

(7)Any friend of a member of an individual’s family is to be regarded as being the individual’s friend.

(8)“Benefit” does not include commercial benefit.

(9)Ministers may prescribe circumstances in which work either is or is not to be treated for the purposes of this Act as being done in the course of a family or personal relationship.

96Fostering

(1)For the purposes of this Act, a “foster carer”, in relation to a child, is an individual other than a parent of the child—

(a)with whom the child has been placed under section 26(1)(a) (placement by councils) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (c. 36) (“the 1995 Act”),

(b)who looks after the child in pursuance of arrangements made by a council under 26(1)(c) (arrangements for accommodating children) of the 1995 Act,

(c)who—

(i)maintains the child as a foster child for the purposes of the Foster Children (Scotland) Act 1984 (c. 56), or

(ii)otherwise looks after the child in circumstances in which that Act applies by virtue of section 17 of that Act, or

(d)who looks after the child in pursuance of—

(i)a permanence order, or

(ii)a supervision requirement.

(2)A foster carer is to be treated as doing work for—

(a)in the case of a foster carer of the type described in subsection (1)(a), the council which placed the child with that foster carer under section 26(1)(a) of the 1995 Act,

(b)in the case of a foster carer of the type described in subsection (1)(b) or (c), any person who—

(i)made arrangements with the foster carer in pursuance of which the foster carer looks after the child, and

(ii)has power to terminate those arrangements,

(c)in the case of a foster carer of the type described in subsection (1)(d)(i), the council which has the right to regulate the child’s residence,

(d)in the case of a foster carer of the type described in subsection (1)(d)(ii), the council in whose area the child is looked after.

(3)Sections 34 to 37 do not apply in relation to work as a foster carer where the work is done in pursuance of —

(a)a permanence order which vests any parental responsibility or parental right in the foster carer, or

(b)a supervision requirement.

(4)Subsections (2) to (7) of section 95 do not apply in relation to work as a foster carer.

(5)References in section 3 to dismissing an individual doing regulated work are, in relation to foster carers, to be read as references to terminating the fostering arrangements concerned.

(6)References in this section to looking after a child in pursuance of a permanence order are references to looking after a child in consequence of the exercise by the council to which the order relates of its right to regulate the child’s residence.

(7)References in this section to the council’s right to regulate a child’s residence are references to the parental right vested in the council by virtue of section 81(1)(b) of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 (asp 4) (mandatory provision in permanence order).

(8)In this section—

97General interpretation

(1)In this Act—

(2)For the purposes of this Act, Ministers must assume that an individual is doing regulated work for an organisation if they—

(a)have made a disclosure in respect of the individual, in relation to that type of regulated work, under section 52, 53 or 54,

(b)know that the disclosure was sought for the purposes of enabling or assisting the organisation to consider the scheme member’s suitability to do, that type of regulated work for the organisation (or to be offered such work by the organisation), and

(c)have not been satisfied that the individual has not been engaged to do, or has stopped doing, that type of regulated work for the organisation.

(3)References in this Act to Ministers considering whether to list an individual are to be read as references to Ministers considering whether to list an individual in the children’s list, in the adults' list or, as the case may be, in both lists in pursuance of section 10, 11, 12 or 13.

(4)References in this Act to Ministers' vetting, barring and disclosure functions are references to their functions under Parts 1 and 2 of this Act and Part 5 of the 1997 Act (other than functions relating to the making of regulations and orders).

(5)References in this Act to relevant police forces, and to the chief officers of those forces, are to be read in the same way as they are read in relation to an application under section 113B of the 1997 Act.

(6)The words and other expressions listed in schedule 5 are defined or otherwise explained for the purposes of this Act by the provisions indicated in that schedule.