Category: DBS News and Advice

Around 90% of small businesses said in a survey that they now conduct at least one background check on people applying for a job with them. For small businesses, background checks are essential to uphold their reputation, ensure employee and customer safety, and make sure they are screening job applicants safely. If you are a small business owner, or are thinking of applying for a position in a small business, here’s what you need to know about background screening from identity checking to DBS checks.

Thousands of people apply for a police check through the Disclosure and Barring Service, or DBS, every month. Most of them will breeze through the process without any difficulty, but figures show that delays in DBS checks are becoming more common. There are lots of things which you can do to minimise your chances of falling foul of lengthy delays, by taking care over the completion of your DBS form. Following our helpful suggestions will help you steer clear of errors that could potentially lead to delays in receiving your DBS certificate.

If you have applied for a job in the UK but were born overseas, one of the things you might be asked to provide as part of the identity checking process is an apostille of your birth certificate. Similarly, someone from the UK moving overseas may have been asked for similar for their British certificates. Navigating the process of obtaining an apostille for your birth certificate doesn’t have to be challenging.

A recent press released from the Home Office has announced that businesses failing to conduct the necessary identity checks on employees are to face even higher fines. Penalties are set to triple from early 2024, so what can employers do to protect themselves?

According to Unison, nurses and other public sector workers are facing a “lottery” around the criminal record checks or DBS checks which are essential for most roles in the healthcare sector. The union’s recent research indicates that 42% of frontline workers in roles requiring these checks are being asked to pay the fees to apply for their own DBS checks, rather than their employer paying the money on their behalf.

In the last 20 years the way we get our takeaways has changed beyond all recognition. Go into any city or town centre and you’ll see many different delivery companies, using cycles or motorbikes to get your pizza or burgers to you as quickly as possible. There has been growing concern though over the rules around employing riders to deliver food, and ongoing arguments over whether they are employed, or self-employed. In the most recent development, food delivery companies, including Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat, have been strongly urged by the government to implement checks on all delivery drivers to safeguard the public and curb illegal working.

With curbing illegal immigration at the top of the current government’s priority list, it is perhaps no surprise that things are changing rapidly concerning checks which employers and letting agencies are required to make. Right to Rent checks were introduced in 2014, as an attempt to make it more difficult for people who are in the UK illegally to find rented property. These checks involve basic identity checks to make sure landlords know who they are renting to, and passport checks to determine nationality, and to make sure that in the case of foreign nationals, that they have the right stamps in their passport to be in the UK. The Home Office has recently announced that the fines in the Right to Rent scheme are to be increased substantially, and this will affect everyone who is planning on taking on a tenancy for a domestic property.

Recent research by motoring organisation the AA is alarming. Their survey indicated that 1 in 650 drivers are on the road while disqualified from driving, and 1 in 300 have a driving licence which has been revoked for some reason, or which has expired. These figures highlight the critical importance of regular driving licence checks by any employer who has members of staff with driving responsibilities. Checking driving licences ensures that employers are complying with their legal duties, and making sure their insurance policies are valid too.

Child protection isn’t just something that we are concerned about in the UK, or even in Western Europe. Every year, many thousands of British nationals head overseas to take up a teaching, healthcare or voluntary position which involves working closely with people under the age of 18. The International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC) is designed just for these sorts of individuals, either UK nationals or former UK residents, who intend to work with children abroad. Developed collaboratively by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and ACRO, the ICPC is a vital tool to stop known offenders from travelling overseas to exploit vulnerable children. Applying for an ICPC through ACRO is straightforward, and there is plenty of guidance online.

Identity theft and associated scams are never out of the press, and from a company’s point of view, safeguarding against fraud is paramount. A recent UK Identity and Fraud report, conducted in 2023, reveals a concerning trend by demonstrating that 69% of organizations experienced higher losses from fraud compared to the 2022. 35% of consumers also felt that they might be at risk of fraud themselves, with identity theft being mentioned as the most significant threat.