Child Sex Offences Disclosure Advice (Sarah's Law)

Sarah's Law, officially known as the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme (CSODS), was introduced in the UK following the tragic murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne (above) in 2000. This law allows parents, guardians, and carers to request information from the police about individuals who have contact with children and whether they have a criminal record for child sex offenses.

The aim of Sarah's Law is to protect children from potential harm by providing legal rights to inquire about the background of individuals who may pose a risk.

Sarah’s Law Disclosure Advice from Cheshire Constabulary 

This ADVICE from Cheshire Constabulary is in relation to the disclosure of information within Cheshire under the framework of CSOD’s (Child Sexual Offences Disclosure) scheme AKA as Sarah’s Law.

It is important to set out the requirements that must be met before any disclosure can be made. The list below is not exhaustive but cover’s likely scenario’s our partner agencies may find themselves advising on:

A CSOD application can be formally made by anyone who requests it, they do not have to be an involved party nor have any concerns. However, disclosure will only be made in very specific circumstances and only to the person who is in the best position to safeguard/protect the child(ren), so not necessarily the applicant. The process involves a face-to-face meeting whereby the Police would attend and ensure controlled disclosure. For this to happen, the following criteria must be met:

• A child under 18 years of age has some form of contact with a person who has convictions for Child Sexual Offences or is a Registered Sex Offender (RSO). Of note, contact has a wide meaning.
• That the person has other convictions, non-convictions or reports relevant to safeguarding Children. This could include non-sexual offences, as there are often clear links between sexual and violent offending. Anything that demonstrates the subject may pose a risk of harm to the named child(ren) can be disclosed. As long as the information has provenance, reliability and credibility, it can be considered for disclosure.

The above process can be advised by partner agencies IF they have no information to provide.

However, if partner agencies are in possession of relevant information, they can make the disclosure in order to immediately protect/safeguard a child. In this instance partner agencies should make the disclosure and not recommend a Sarah’s Law application to the Police.  The disclosure should only confirm that the child is at risk and the necessary safeguarding measures that need to be implemented. Any detail regarding any live investigation or circumstance of the registered offence outside of the conviction should not be disclosed, even if further information is requested. It is a misconception that under Sarah’s Law, full disclosure of all offences is provided.

Finally, if the child is at immediate risk or offences are suspected/disclosed, agencies should contact Cheshire Police. Further appropriate action can then be considered.

If you want to request a Child Sexual Offences Disclosure, you can call 101 or go online via the link below: 

Refer online via the Cheshire Police Website here