Sarah's Law – Officially called the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Program. This programme, designed to protect one or more children, was rolled out in England, Wales and Scotland across all 43 police forces from 4 April 2011. Over the past 9 years, since Once the law came into force, it undoubtedly saved thousands of children. potential harm, but of the thousands of lives protected, how many innocent lives have been harmed if they are in fact innocent? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The law allows anyone to formally ask their local police whether anyone who has contact with children has a criminal record for committing a child sex offense. The police have a legal duty to reveal whether or not this person is on the sex offenders register. Some charities feared that once the law came into force, sex offenders would disappear clandestinely, but there is no evidence of this happening. Sarah's Law came into force in April 2011, since then disclosures have increased every year, with the last financial year seeing more than 219 disclosures. In the first year of the program, more than 200 children were protected from possible harm. In 2013, just over two and a half years after the program was launched, 4,754 requests were filed, with one in seven resulting in disclosure. This shows that parents/guardians are aware of concerning behaviors surrounding their children. Teresa May said the government was doing everything it could to protect all children, but families still play a vital role. Even if parents are advised that there is no concern following a disclosure, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children warns those affected to remain vigilant as Sarah's Law can only release information on those who are on the sex offender register or there. There have been allegations of such crimes, which “could create a false sense of security”. Out of 46 forces (including British Transport Police), 22 returned comparable data with at least 1,140 disclosures, reaffirming that parents are aware of how others act around their children and that some are aware of the system. , is that any member of the public can make a formal inquiry to their local police force, whether by calling, attending a local police station in person, making a report online or meeting on the street a policeman. They will then have a face-to-face meeting to ensure their intentions are genuine. At this stage they will also receive information on how to better protect their children. A full risk assessment is then undertaken with trained staff who understand child abuse. This will also include searches and checks on the Police National Computer (PNC), Violent and Sexual Offenders Register (VISOR), which will accompany these trained members of staff who will gather intelligence from local forces to fill any gaps information. Following the risk assessment, a decision is made: “of concern” or “not of concern”. If a 'concerning' decision is made, a multi-agency meeting (MAPPA) is required to decide whether to release this information and whether to inform the individual concerned that a complaint has been made against them. If a.