Our lost sense of proportion

By Josie Appleton, convenor of the Manifesto Club, which campaigns against 'over-cautious' child protection measures The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, which comes into force in 2008, will make it a crime for a mother to help out at her daughter's playgroup without being checked for criminal records. If the mother doesn't have clearance from the CRB, both she and the playgroup could get a £5,000 fine. The Act covers everybody who works or volunteers with children, from 16-year-olds teaching reading, to babysitters and violin teachers.