Monday 27 June 2011

CRB Checks - It's A Matter Of Trust


The CRB was established under Part V of the Police Act 1997 and was launched in March 2002, following public concern about the safety of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We also need to protect our businesses from employees, not an ideal situation, but in this day an age we do need to be vigilant. These can form part of pre employment or personnel checks. One of the main reasons for the formation of the Criminal Records Bureau was to reduce the risk of organisations being sued for employing convicted criminals who went on to abuse vulnerable people while in the course of their duty

The term "vetting" came to us in the early 1900s originating from the way veterinarians would check racehorses for health and soundness before allowing them to race. Today, the term has come to take on the general meaning "to check," particularly in the context of uncovering flaws. While businesses recognise the value in vetting potential candidates, there are areas of employment where these checks are a prerequisite to hiring.

The Criminal Records Bureau carries out their CRB checks as part of the recruitment process. An agency within the Home Office, namely the CRB office accesses these two lists of those who have been prohibited from working with the vulnerable. The ISA or Independent safeguarding Authority, maintains the lists covering the protection of children and vulnerable adults.

All new and existing staff who have taken on roles as teaching, training or supervising of children or vulnerable groups need to be registered with the vetting and Barring scheme of 2009 and to be assessed by the ISA. Also with these safeguards, there is a duty of social services to share information with professional regulators and potential employers. The ISA must be notified of relevant information pertaining to those who pose a threat so they can be identified and barred from employment as respects these protected groups.

For those who have been barred, it is a criminal offence to endeavor to undertake employment with vulnerable groups, just as it is for employers who knowingly hire them. Employers can update and check registration status of an employee once the initial check has been performed, this can be done online and notifications can also be updated instantly of an employees status, should it change. The CRB checks provide criminal record data on three levels:

Basic Disclosure - providing the most basic details of convictions considered to be unspent as defined in the Rehabilitations of Offenders Act 1974.

Standard Disclosure - providing details of both spent and unspent convictions including information on any cautions that may have been received

Enhanced Disclosure - providing a full criminal background check of the candidate in which details of any spent or unspent convictions and other pertinent information have been recorded by police and other Government agencies.

Some reasons for personnel and pre employment checks:

• Finding the right candidate who will help to grow the business

• Hiring and training represents a major expense for an organisation

• Verifying facts on a resume can consume a great deal of time

• Matching a qualified applicant with the skill sets outlined in the interview process

• Hiring the wrong person can be more costly than not hiring anyone

• Investing in robust pre-employment checks can reduce risks relative to investing in appropriate personnel

• Obtaining and analysing relevant information prior to hiring a new employee requires experience and specialist techniques

• Vetting is a continuous process

• Re-vetting for sensitive positions should be considered at regular intervals

Criminal investigations and CRB checks are an essential part of the recruitment process that help ensure the right person for the right position at the right time.


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Enhanced crb disclosure is for positions involving greater contact with children or vulnerable adults, and for certain additional professions. Enhanced Crb checks are also issued for certain statutory purposes such as gaming and lottery licences
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Chitika