The Big Question: Have we taken child protection measures too far in Britain?

The Big Question: Have we taken child protection measures too far in Britain?

Surrey County Council has been criticised by Ofsted over its "unacceptable and dangerous" efforts to vet staff working with children, warning that youngsters are being put at risk as a result. The issue of checking teachers, youth workers and others responsible for youngsters' welfare has steadily risen up the agenda during the last decade, and the Government is preparing to launch an agency that could result in a quarter of the adult population being vetted for any criminal past.

But there are signs of a backlash against the increase in child protection measures, with claims that it is poisoning the relationships between the generations and deterring law-abiding members of the community from volunteering to work with children.