Updated: DBS filtering rules have changed

If you recruit for jobs that are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act you will be familiar with filtering. Since May 2013, some cautions and convictions are automatically ‘filtered’ from standard and enhanced DBS certificates and job applicants are legally entitled to withhold filtered cautions and convictions from employers. The existing rules apply to […]

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Recruiting with conviction at a time of national crisis

As the coronavirus spreads in the UK and government advice means millions of people are staying home to stay safe, there is an urgent need for people to help with key roles. The NHS are looking for 250,000 volunteers, while social care providers, supermarkets and other essential services are boosting their workforce. We’ve been contacted […]

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A recruitment agency with a blanket ban on placing people with unspent convictions

We’ve recently been contacted by an individual who wanted some advice following dismissal from his job because he didn’t disclose his unspent criminal record. The individual explained that on release from prison, over 15 years ago, he’d been told by his probation officer that his conviction would become ‘spent’ (under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act […]

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Zero tolerance approach to DBS checks?

We were recently contacted by an individual who had applied for an assessor role in health and social care. The individual disclosed their conviction to the employer on the application form and at interview and was told that, as their conviction was historical, it would not present a problem. At a second interview, the company […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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