The national Vetting and Barring Scheme could be scaled back, after The Daily Telegraph revealed that it's being reviewed, with plans to "very significantly" curtail the scheme that vets individuals' suitability to work with children.

According to Community Care, the scheme could be labelling as many as 12,000 innocent people as unsuitable to work with children.

"The level of checks has escalated disproportionately since they were established," a spokesman from crime reduction charity Nacro said. "It means that good people who have made a mistake and turned their backs on crime have their careers and hope for rehabilitation put on the line because the legislation policy is complex and confuses employers."

The Home Office confirmed an announcement that changes would be made this week, after the Freedom Bill has been laid before parliament.

It means that anyone with a nursery nurse job or similar career where they're in contact with children could have a more streamlined process of vetting before being allowed to work with minors.

Community Care expects that the onus will be shifted to ensure that employers check their staff are safe to work with vulnerable groups. As part of the reform, criminal record checks will be sent to individuals only, so that job applicants or volunteers can present disclosures to employers. It means that employers need to request further details or checks if they're concerned.

However, critics are concerned that giving employers more discretion about how suitable their staff are might bring with it greater risks.