MOVES to make anyone working with children carry a child safety "passport" under new security measures in the wake of the Soham inquiry have been welcomed by headteachers in Swindon.

The Home Office is today due to publish the report into how Ian Huntley was able to get a job as a school caretaker in Soham despite a string of sex allegations in his past. He went on to murder Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

The idea is to create an easily-recognisable "positive vetting" scheme through which the protection of children and vulnerable people from potential abusers is bolstered.

It was suggested during the Bichard inquiry that would-be workers, having passed a series of checks, would have to carry the card or passport showing they were fit and proper for the post. It would only be issued after the all-clear had been given by the police and any other necessary checks had been carried out.

At the moment people can be blacklisted from jobs with children, often for reasons which remain unknown to an employer or parent, and there is no overall passport or register to prove the worker has safety approval.

A passport could fill this gap.

Michael Keeling, head of Even Swindon Infants School and chairman of Swindon Association of Primary School Heads, said schools were much more vigilant about safety issues following Soham. "I know there is still the issue over the time it takes to get people vetted, which will never go away," he said.

"These things take time. The idea of passport as such is a good one. In a sense it is what we have got already. I would welcome a passport so people have an instant verification of who they are and that they are safe with children."

Dr Nick Capstick, head of Drove Primary School, was more cynical about the proposal.

"My feeling about a passport is it's just a name. Names are great but it is the actual proceedings that underpin what we do that is important. Any form of registration or licensing is great provided the processes are very transparent and easy to understand. I suppose I'm quite cynical, it's almost like a gimmick."

Swindon Youth Partnership is a network of voluntary organisations working with young people. Its co-ordinator Nigel Sharp said he got more calls on the subject of checks than all the other calls put together.

"Something has got to be done," he said. "It is a very serious matter. At the moment passports seem to be the best suggestion."

He said the passports would have to be checked at least every other year to ensure they remained up-to-date.

However, despite widespread backing from education chiefs, local authorities and human rights groups for a passport, introducing it could still be a technical nightmare.

Tamzin Davis