Sarahs law how does it work

In August , the Home Office announced that it would be rolling out the scheme across all 43 police areas in England and Wales. On request, the police will confidentially reveal those details to the person who is most able to protect that child if it is in the interest of the child to do so. Usually, this information is given to parents, carers or guardians.

In Scotland, a similar national scheme called Keeping Children Safe allows parents or guardians of children under the age of 18 to ask the police if someone who has contact with their child has a history of sexual offences against children. Police may also disclose other offences a person has committed that may put the child at risk.

At the moment, there is no equivalent scheme set up in Northern Ireland. However, the police the will share information in a controlled fashion when they deem it necessary for the protection of a child or for risk management. You will only be able to track the progress of an incident if you reported it online. Please note: You will only have an account if you have reported an incident online.

In order to use this site please enable JavaScript in your web browser. The child sex offender disclosure scheme, more commonly known as Sarah's Law, allows anyone to formally ask the police if someone who has access to a child has a child sexual offences record.

If you would like to make a request under Sarah's Law, you can do so by filling in our online form. Alternatively you can also visit your local police station. After the form has been received and our initial enquiries have been completed, you may be asked to come to a face to face meeting with a police officer.

If you are asked to this meeting, you should bring two forms of ID, with at least one being photographic ID. If we make a disclosure, we will do so in person rather than in writing. Disclosures will only be given to the person best placed to protect the child and who needs to know the details in order to keep the child safe, usually a parent, carer or guardian.

We always aim to maintain the confidentiality of the applicant and we carefully plan all disclosures to minimise the risk of harm to those concerned. Any disclosed information is to be kept confidential and is only to be used to keep children safe. New website. Close alert. Apply for disclosure information Anyone who looks out for the welfare of a child can make an enquiry. The most notable change was that American people now have the right to know if a convicted paedophile is living in their area.

How does the US system function? Different states use different methods. In Florida, for example, photographs are posted on a website alongside details of the offender's crime, date of birth and address.

The most dangerous paedophiles carry a "predator" alert. In other states, the details of sex offenders are posted at local police stations and libraries. Elsewhere, homes within a half-mile radius of a known paedophile's address are posted with leaflets warning them of the offender's presence. Does it work? No doubt some parents feel safe in the knowledge that they live in a paedophile-free neighbourhood. However, there has been a modest increase in child sex crimes since the law was adopted.

Of course, there is nothing to stop a paedophile giving a false address or going underground.