The Home Secretary has announced the national roll-out of the child sex offender disclosure scheme.
Under the terms of the scheme, a parent, carer or guardian or another interested party can request that an individual who has access to their child or children is checked to see whether they have a record of committing child sexual offences.
Piloted in four police areas over the past year, the scheme will roll out to a further 18 police force areas from August and will reach all forces by the end of March 2011.
Further information is available on the Home Office website.