Category: DBS News and Advice

Employers across the UK are being encouraged to review their current procedures to verify employees’ Right to Work in the UK before more stringent penalties come into force next year, according to an immigration law expert. The Home Office recently announced that fines for employing illegal workers are to rise significantly in 2024. The proposed changes will mean that businesses employing individuals without the appropriate right to work could face fines starting at £45,000 per worker, a three-times increase from the current penalty of £15,000 for a first offence. Repeat offenders might incur fines of as much as £60,000 per illegal worker. These changes are scheduled to come into effect from the beginning of 2024.

It seems that the motor industry is the latest target for raising standards and integrity. Only recently, the government set the requirement that everyone who is in charge of a garage offering MOT testing, or who passes the exams to carry out MOT tests, must have a basic DBS check. When introduced, this legislation only applied to MOT testers who were qualifying for the first time, or to people who were setting up a new business offering MOT testing. Hot on the heels of this requirement is an extension to the legislation, which sees additional checks required for testers who have allowed their training to lapse.

As of 7th November 2023, China has officially become the latest major country to be a party to the Apostille Convention. This development should streamline the authentication process for foreign documents intended for use in China and bring about significant time and cost savings for both businesses and individuals.

As of April 2023, the NHS issued new guidance to recruiter about how they should be verifying the identity of people wishing to join the organisation. As the NHS employs 1.4 million people in England alone, many of us will work there at some point in our careers or know someone who will. The idea behind the new NHS identity checking standard is to tighten up processes across the organisation, and make sure that the same process is being followed for each and every volunteer and employee across this enormous organisation.

The Home Office has recently announced that Fire and Rescue Services in England and Wales will be allowed to carry out Standard DBS checks on all employees. At present, many workers for the Fire Service only have basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Presently, basic DBS checks show unspent cautions and convictions for an applicant only, while standard DBS checks provide a more comprehensive history about someone’s criminal past by including sent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and final warnings.

The idea of “cyber vetting,” which involves assessing job candidates based on their online behaviour, has become increasingly common. However, a recent study conducted by North Carolina State University highlights the potential for bias in the hiring process as a result of this practice. Researchers reveal that cyber vetting, which often involves scrutinising candidates’ social media accounts and online presence, can lead to unfair moral judgments.

Pre-Employment checks are becoming increasingly common in the UK jobs market. Employers want to spend a bit of time and money looking into the backgrounds of the people who they are thinking of employing, as an attempt to guard against damage to the business from a rogue employee, or someone with a long criminal record in fraud. One of the most common parts of the recruitment process is the use of DBS Checks, also known criminal records screening. These checks serve as a tool for potential employers to look at whether someone has a criminal record, an assess the relevance of an individual’s convictions to the job role in question.

In the increasingly competitive jobs market, background checks have expanded their role from being primarily associated with positions involving children to encompass a much larger range of positions. Google searches for terms like “best background check” is up by 100% since last year, and “best background check site” searches have risen by 200%, underscoring the heightened interest across diverse employment sectors. If you’re in the market for a new job, the level and type of checking will in large part depend on the job you are applying to. Here are some of the most common background checks which are requested through organisations such as Clear Check, and the types of jobs where you might expect to come across them.

Work experience and placements are an essential aspect of many college and university courses. Students on apprenticeship or “sandwich” courses will take a few days a week or a month at a time out of education to gain real-life work experience, and others will search for work related to their course during holidays from their study. Universities can often be a good source of information about how to get a DBS check, or will work with partner organisations such as Clear Check to process applications.

School terms are wrapping up all over England and Wales, and many governors will be thinking about stepping down and letting someone else take over the responsibility. School governors have an important role to fulfil in overseeing the management of the school by setting policy and dealing with issues such as recruitment and complaints. If you’re considering getting involved, here’s what you need to know about DBS checks for school governors.