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The precarious economic situation and the fact that many people have been furloughed or laid-off as a consequence of coronavirus have left to a spike in upfront fee scams.

We are now moving out of lockdown and into a system whereby the government aims to track down the people who have the virus and trace their contacts. The smartphone app is still in trial stages, and the process relies heavily on a team of contact tracers.

Parents all over the UK are having to re-think their childcare options as nurseries and schools close during the coronavirus pandemic. Traditionally, one of the most flexible methods of childcare has been the au pair.

Concerns have been raised about children’s safety when parents engage the services of an online tutor. By law, anyone who wants to work in a school as a teacher, teaching assistant or even in the school office needs a DBS check.

By the end of April 2020, over 9000 fines for breaking lockdown rules had been issued by police across the UK. But could the offences appear on a DBS Check when you apply for a job in the future?

Unlike teachers who work in a school setting however, there is no requirement for private tutors to have a disclosure check. The National Education Union is calling for change, highlighting cases of teachers who have caused serious harm to children they are tutoring.

Over the years the Disclosure and Barring Service system has changed, and the most important change in recent times has been the ability for an individual to request a criminal record check on themselves. There are however some limits to this system.

Councils around the country are trying to tread a fine line between speeding up the process of getting new carers on board, but at the same time ensuring that processes are robust enough to safeguard some very vulnerable children and young people.

If there’s one phrase we’ve heard more in the last couple of months than any other, it’s “key workers”. This phrase is something you’ll hear multiple times a day from television reporters and government briefings.

According to an investigation by leading technology publication New Scientist, a large number of government websites have serious security issues which could put you at risk. The government operates over 3000 different websites under the gov.uk domain name, covering everything from central government departments to smaller district council websites.