Information for service providers about the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) scheme.

About POVA
The POVA scheme is run by the Department of Health. Its main feature is a list of people who are unsuitable to work with vulnerable adults.

People should be referred to, and included on, the POVA list if they have abused or harmed vulnerable adults in their care or placed them at risk of harm.

Service providers must check the list and must not offer jobs in care positions to anyone on it.

The POVA scheme applies to:

registered service providers of care homes
domiciliary care agencies
adult placement schemes.
It also applies to employment agencies and businesses who supply care workers to these providers.