CQC Compliance Quality Assurance
Care & Client Management

The Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) scheme in England and Wales is a system set out in the Care Standards Act 2000, and is developed, promoted and controlled by the Department of Health for the purpose of acting as a workforce ban on those people who have been proven to have harmed vulnerable people in their care. The Scheme is an additional safeguard layer over and above the requirement to carry out criminal records checks. Employers who are required to carry out criminal records checks on proposed new employees are also required to check that the person is not listed on the barred persons list. Employers may not engage an employee until a positive (i.e. the person is not on the barred register) result has been received by the employer.

The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) makes decisions on all referrals to POVA.

The current version of the scheme is laid out in the Department of Health publication "Protection of Vulnerable Adults scheme in England and Wales for adult placement schemes, domiciliary care agencies and care homes: A practical guide (2009 edition)"

The POVA scheme is currently implemented with regard to:

• care workers employed by registered providers of care homes, including workers supplied by employment agencies and businesses to such providers, who are employed in care positions that enable them to have regular contact in the course of their duties with care home residents; and
• care workers employed by registered providers who carry on domiciliary care agencies, including workers supplied by employment agencies and businesses to such providers, who are employed in care positions concerned with the provision of personal care in their own homes for persons who by reason of illness, infirmity or disability are unable to provide it for themselves without assistance.
• adult placement carers.