Category: DBS News and Advice

Back in 1989, the Protection of Children Act introduced a new register which was known as the POCA list, or Protection of Vulnerable Children. The similarly named POVA list is the comparable list for dealing with vulnerable adults. The abbreviations POCA and POVA are still in common use, but the official terminology has changed, and since 2009 the lists have been replaced by the Children’s and Adults’ Barred Lists, which are managed by the Independent Safeguarding Authority. The idea behind these lists is the same, in that they contain the names of people who have been formally blocked from working with children or adults.

When Russian troops started to move into Ukraine at the end of February 2022, the response from the European public was swift. Initially, money flooded into charities, and vans were loaded up to take essential supplies into Poland for the thousands of Ukrainian refugees. It soon became apparent however that a longer-term solution would be needed for housing, and the UK government launched the Homes for Ukraine scheme on 18 March 2022. Within the first few weeks of the scheme, a reported 200,000 people across England had signed up. But what does the scheme entail?

Recruitment was turned on its head during the Covid-19 pandemic, with more people than ever working from home. We all had to get used to Zoom meetings rather than meeting colleagues in person, and getting applicants for a job into the office for an interview became impossible too. Remote recruitment poses its challenges, and even as we move back into having more people in the office, many employers are retaining remote recruitment as a way of cutting costs and time. But are there any disadvantages to recruiting in this way for either recruiter or candidate?

Back in 1974, new legislation was passed which was designed to help people who had been convicted of crimes to slot back into life and make a fresh start. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 allows people not to disclose older convictions in many situations, such as when applying for a job or buying insurance. There are limits to the Act, which means that most convictions resulting in more than 4 years in prison cannot ever be considered spent. For other convictions and cautions, they will be deleted from your record in most circumstances after a set period of time.

More and more employers are choosing to undertake at least some background screening on the people applying for jobs with their organisation. This could be as simple as ringing up a previous employer for a chat, but other employers dig a lot deeper. Checking everything from academic qualifications to vetting a social media profile takes both time an expertise, so it’s perhaps no surprise that many employers choose to subcontract this process out. But how do you work out which companies are reputable and will deliver what they promise? Recommendation from friends in the business world are always the best way to source trusted suppliers, but if you are coming at the process with no recommendations and no experience, here are some key aspects to consider when choosing which screening organisation to go with.

As part of the government roll out of digital services, it has recently been announced that the Disclosure and Barring Service, or DBS, is to be one of the first parts of government services to use the One Login system to confirm their identity. This is part of the Government Digital System, or GDS, which is all about integrating different government departments together, and making things easier for end users.

There have been substantial changes to the processes for licensing both black cab and private hire taxi drivers over recent years. All of the changes are designed to make things safer for passengers, guaranteeing that both the vehicles and the drivers undergo a basic level of checking to ensure that they are safe. Many local authorities now require that CCTV is installed as standard in all vehicles, mainly for the protection of passengers but also to protect drivers from assault or theft. DBS criminal records checks are also standard and must be renewed each time the driver applies for a new taxi licence. Renewing DBS checks involves a considerable amount of paperwork, so it’s perhaps not surprising that many licensing authorities are asking drivers to sign up to the DBS Update service instead.

A recent court case in Croydon has highlighted the need for all organisations, irrespective of size, to thoroughly background check the skills, qualifications, and experience of anyone applying for jobs. The Croydon case involved a woman who managed to secure a senior position within the NHS, after lying about both her academic background and work experience.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK in 2020, more of us have been working at home than ever. Many business experts are predicting that this shift to working more at home could be permanent, suggesting a hybrid model going forward with some days in the office and the rest at home. In several sectors, roles which were traditionally done in a clinic or educational setting are being carried out in private homes. A home-based position check is a little-known service offered by the Disclosure and Barring Service which allows people undertaking certain activities at home to access a full enhanced disclosure check.

Pre-Employment checks are becoming increasingly common in all sectors of employment. Employers will look at a range of factors, and checks will vary between organisations. For an entry-level position, employers may just carry out the basics of a Right to Work check, to make sure they aren’t employing anyone illegally. For senior positions in other organisations, the checks may be extensive and include credit checks, enhanced disclosure or DBS checks, formal reference checking and fact-checking of CVs. One of the most common checks carried out is a social media search – it’s free to look at someone’s social media profile and may give a good indication of their personality and what they get up to in their spare time.