This case involves an organisation that recruits couriers. We were contacted by an individual who was in the process of applying for a job as a self-employed neighbourhood courier. As part of the online application form, the organisation involved had stated that: “l will ask you to provide a current DBS check (formally CRB). Please […]
Confusing questions about criminal record checks
We’ve recently worked on a case where the employer had a confusing question about criminal records. We were contacted by an individual who had just received notification from a local school that his application for a teaching position had not been successful. The individual explained that he hadn’t been surprised by the decision as the school […]
Blanket exclusions for certain offences
We’ve recently worked on a case where an employer had a blanket exclusion for certain offences. We were contacted by an individual who had applied to a training organisation which specialised in working with people with convictions with the aim of getting them into paid employment. The majority of individuals they work with are either […]
Basic checks, compensation orders and statements about ‘CRB checks’
We were contacted by an individual after the decision of a major supermarket to revoke a job offer for a delivery driver job following disclosure of a conviction which had come to light as a result of a basic criminal record check. The individual confirmed that prior to applying for the job he had checked […]
Ignoring spent convictions when you need to
This case relates to a large university and the appointment of a fixed term research assistant. The programme lead of this particular project interviewed a gentleman who she stated ‘could not be more ideally suited for the post’. He had the necessary skills and experience and was himself in recovery from an alcohol problem. With […]
Spent convictions are not needed for basic disclosure applications
This case relates to a large background screening company that is registered with the DBS to conduct standard and enhanced checks – they’re a large company in this sector, and have been in the top 10 registered bodies (by number of applications to the DBS) in recent years. As part of their ‘offer’, they also […]
Even some of ‘best’ employers can improve their application forms
This case involves a well-known employer of people with convictions. They actively support the recruitment of people leaving prison and in the community, but when we took a look at their online application form, we were left with a few questions. Under the title “CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS (Offender Act 1974)”, the question on their online form […]
Fundraising jobs – what level of check?
This case involves a regional voluntary organisation that were advertising a vacancy for a fundraiser. The job advertisement stated that the job was exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and that all convictions, including spent ones, needed to be disclosed. A fundraiser position is not on the list of exempted professions in the Rehabilitation […]
Can a ‘clean’ DBS be essential?
This case study involves an organisation that was recruiting a project officer. We were passed details of the vacancy because, in the job description, it stated that “a clean disclosure and barring check is essential for this post.” Naturally, we were stunned by this statement, as was the person who’d seen it; they had a […]
Office administrators and enhanced checks
This case involves a regional voluntary organisation that employs around 40 people and uses over 300 volunteers. They were advertising a vacancy for an office administrator. As an organisation, they are used to recruiting volunteers in roles working with children and the elderly, and so they’re often doing enhanced DBS checks. That meant that with […]