NO2ID

The Independent Safeguarding Authority, standard-bearer for the last government’s efforts to protect every child in the country from any harm imaginable, is sailing into choppier waters this week with the announcement that the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is now seeking a judicial review to delay its implementation.

The standard of proof required by the ISA is no more than "on the balance of probabilities". As readers will be aware, this test is made even dodgier by the fact that the ISA is being asked to judge not simply whether an individual has committed a particular offence – but also in terms of their suitability and likelihood that they might do something untoward in the future.

This includes hearsay evidence – not permitted in a criminal trial – and scoring algorithms that could take account of factors including individual sexual propensities and what films they watch.