Decision and debate: addressing the implications of the POVA banning list

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill introduces a central vetting process for staff and volunteers working with vulnerable adults and children in England and Wales. This new scheme will bring together the current Protection of Vulnerable Adults banning scheme (POVA), List 99 (banning teachers) and the Protection of Children Act list (applicable to those working in childcare). This article draws on research analysing the first 100 referrals to the POVA list and identifies a series of prototypical cases and common themes. The discussion reveals the complexity of decision‐making in this type of regulation and its enforcement.