Licensed to Hug : How Child Protection Policies are Poisoning the Relationship Between the Generations and Damaging the Voluntary Sector

Since the establishment of the Criminal Records Bureau in 2002, more than a third of British adults have had to get a certificate to say they are safe to be near children, and the numbers affected are increasing.

Frank Furedi and Jennie Bristow argue that the growth of police vetting has created a sense of mistrust.

Communities are forged through the joint commitment of adults to the socialisation of children.

Now, adults are afraid to interact with any child not their own.

The generations are becoming distant, as adults suspect each other and children are taught to suspect adults.

The vetting culture encourages risk aversion: there is a feeling that it is better to ignore young people, even if they are behaving in an anti-social manner, and even if they are in trouble and need help, rather than risk accusations of improper conduct.Vetting also gives a false sense of security as it can only identify those who have offended in the past and been caught - not what people will do after they are passed as fit to be near children. "Licensed to Hug" argues for a more common-sense approach to adult/child relations, based on the assumption that the vast majority of adults can be relied on to help and support children, and that the healthy interaction between generations enriches children's lives.