Sarah's Law, also known as the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme, is a safety measure put in place to protect children from potential harm by identifying individuals who have been convicted of offenses relating to child sexual abuse. The law is named after Sarah Payne, a girl who tragically lost her life due to child sex offending.
The main purpose of Sarah's Law is to give parents and guardians the ability to find out if someone who has regular contact with their child has a history of child sexual offences. This way, parents can make informed decisions about who they allow their child to spend time with and take necessary precautions to keep their child safe.
Sarah's Law works like this: if a parent or guardian has concerns about a person being in contact with their child and potentially causing harm, they can approach the police and make an application under this law. They will need to provide the police with information about the person they are concerned about, such as their name and address.
The police will then review the application to determine if there is a valid concern for the child's safety. If they find that the concerns are reasonable, they will conduct a thorough investigation. This includes checking their records to see if the person has any previous convictions for child sexual offenses.
If it is confirmed that the person has a history of child sexual offenses and poses a risk to children, the police may share this information with the parent or guardian. However, it is important to note that the police will only disclose this information to the parent or guardian who made the application. They will then be able to take necessary steps to protect their child, such as limiting contact or reporting the person to the authorities.
It is important to remember that Sarah's Law is not a blanket rule and does not mean that everyone's personal information will be shared. It is a process specifically designed to protect children when there are valid concerns about a person's history of child sexual offenses.
Overall, Sarah's Law is an important measure to keep children safe from individuals who may pose a risk to their well-being. It allows parents and guardians to be informed and take necessary actions to protect their children from potential harm.