Child Sex Offender Review (CSOR) Public Disclosure Pilots: A Process Evaluation

This report presents the findings of a process evaluation of the one-year Public Disclosure Pilots in four areas established by the Review of the Protection of Children from Sex Offenders (Home Office, 2007). The aim of the research was to determine how successfully the pilots have provided members of the public with a formal mechanism for requesting information about individuals who have access to children and who may have convictions for child sex offending. The process evaluation also assessed the extent and nature of the applications, whether the pilots have contributed to existing child protection arrangements and the cost of implementing the process. It consisted of an analysis of 159 application forms; and 186 qualitative interviews with purposively selected pilot staff and other practitioners and key stakeholders (82); applicants (43); and 61 registered sex offenders (RSOs) living in the pilot areas. It should be noted that these samples represent a small proportion of the overall populations and may not be representative of all views.