Rules for agencies 'are costly red tape'

The final version of the standards will be used by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care to register and inspect nanny agencies. But Eddy Tulloch, who heads the Edinburgh-based agency Butterfly Person-nel, said the draft standards, published by the Scottish Executive just before Christmas, were 'aimed at trying to reassure people things will be all right, when no one can guarantee that'.

The six standards set out in Draft National Care Standards for Childcare Agencies - A consultation paper are written from the standpoint of the service user, that is the parent. The standard covering management and staffing arrangements says that a parent should be confident that the agency has selected carers on the basis of a number of checks, including an enhanced disclosure from Disclosure Scotland and international criminal records checks where possible. The checks should also include cross-referencing with the list of individuals considered unsuitable to work with children, referred to in the Protection of Children (Scotland) Bill currently making its way through the Scottish Parliament (see News, 12 December).