Sir Michael Bichard's subsequent inquiry into the events that led up to the murders found that Huntley's previous history had not been flagged up because of problems in sharing information between agencies.
Sir Michael's final report made 31 separate recommendations to the Government about how systems could be improved, based around the belief that information had to be shared more efficiently so that those who pose a risk to children and vulnerable adults could be identified and barred from working with them.
The report called for a new system that would not only bar individuals who pose a risk, but also create a register of people allowed to work with these groups.
The legislation that came out of Sir Michael's report was the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 - a milestone in the protection of children and vulnerable adults.
This led to the creation of the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS), the new system that, from this October, will replace the existing Protection of Children Act (PoCA) list, Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) list, and the list help under section 142 of the Education Act, known as List 99, held by the Departments of Health and Children, Schools and Families.
The new system is more than just a replacement, however. When fully operational it will be the biggest and most rigorous scheme of its kind in the world, both extending and improving the existing safeguards given to those most in need of protection.
Under the new system more jobs and activities will be covered than ever before, many of them in settings that were not previously vetted.
For parents, this means greater peace of mind. For vulnerable adults, meanwhile, the new scheme will result in protection that is, for the first time, at the same high level as that offered to children.
To safeguard vulnerable groups it takes commitment from Government, employers, voluntary groups and individuals, all of whom must play their part.
The job of deciding who should be barred from working with vulnerable groups will be taken by the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), a Government sponsored body with independent status.
The ISA will assess the information held on people who want to work or volunteer with vulnerable people, and potential employees and volunteers will need to apply to register. Each individual will be responsible for paying the £64 one-off registration fee (£58 in Northern Ireland), unless they are a volunteer, which means they can register for free.
Applicants will be assessed using data gathered by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) including relevant criminal convictions, cautions, police intelligence and other appropriate sources.
Applications for ISA-registration through the CRB are expected to take seven days. If information is disclosed that highlights a concern for safeguarding, the data is sent to the ISA for consideration and potential barring.
Unlike some other schemes, the VBS will rely on continuous monitoring rather than one initial check. This means that once someone has been ISA registered, their records will be continuously checked so that any new information which comes to light - for example a conviction, caution or in some cases an allegation - can be considered by caseworkers.
If an individual who is registered becomes barred following this new information coming to light, they will lose their ISA-registration. Employers, voluntary groups or other organisations will be informed that they can no longer use them.
Once the scheme has been fully rolled out, employers who work with vulnerable people will only be allowed to employ people who are ISA-registered.
Sir Roger Singleton, Chief Executive of the ISA, believes the Scheme will significantly improve protection for children and vulnerable adults.
"The ability to remove or bar unsuitable and sometimes dangerous individuals from the workplace is a vital aspect of the scheme," he said. "While the majority of individuals working with children and vulnerable adults will demonstrate the highest regard to their safeguarding, it is vital that everyone working or volunteering in this field will soon need to register and be monitored to highlight any potential risk.
"Our responsibility in safeguarding vulnerable groups should also enable these vulnerable groups to be taught or cared for without fear of harm.
"Our decisions to bar or not to bar will not be made lightly - every decision is potentially life-changing. That is why the ISA has developed a decision-making process with a balanced and transparent approach that is designed to ensure that all known information and factors are taken into consideration before barring decisions are made."
Many key stakeholders are already voicing their support for the new regulations, among them the children's charity Barnardos. The charity's Chief Executive Martin Narey, said: "I applaud the introduction of these new regulations. It is an obligation for all of us who provide children's services to protect, making it as difficult as possible for people who want to harm children.
"Whilst we know that vetting and barring does not give firm guarantees, they do offer a level of deterrent to those who seek to harm children from seeking positions of trust."
He added: "They also offer reassurance to children and parents that organisations are doing the best they can to protect children, while reducing the potential for erroneous or inconsistent decisions about suitability. To operate without such a system would be scandalously reckless."
The scope of the new regulations will see more people than ever before - around 11.3m - going through rigorous checks in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from a variety of sectors including health, social care, education and sport.
Employers also have greater responsibilities under the new scheme.
From October they, as well as voluntary organisations, will have a legal duty to share information with the scheme. This means if a worker or volunteer is dismissed as a result of harmful or inappropriate behaviour, the ISA must be informed.
If an employee is moved away from working with vulnerable groups, or even if they leave of their own accord while an investigation is taking place, the employer must, by law, inform the ISA.
It is the sharing of information like this that will help us identify those people who pose a risk to the most vulnerable people in our society, and bar them from situations where they could cause harm.
Then, from 2010, all new employees and volunteers who will be working frequently with children or vulnerable adults can start to become ISA registered. From November 2010 they will be legally obliged to be registered before they can begin their roles.
This date also marks the start of a five-year phasing plan to introduce the Scheme fully. From January 2011 it will begin to role out to cover current members of the workforce, so that by July 2015 everyone who is working or volunteering with vulnerable groups will have been vetted and registered.
Sadly no system, no matter how thorough, can guarantee that abuse will never happen again.
We should be confident, however, that the new scheme will be a major step forward in improving protection for children and vulnerable adults throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
By working together, we can make a difference.
