DBS Checks & Criminal Record Checks

Care Check is a leading umbrella body for the Disclosure and Barring Service and has been named one of the top 8 providers for criminal record checks in the UK.

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Pre-Employment Checks For Employers | DBS, Socials & More

To improve retention and reduce turnover, employers need to ensure the pre-employment checks are efficient enough to recruit the most stable of employees. 

Before making a conditional offer to the candidate, organisations must perform employment checks to determine the candidate’s suitability – how likely are they to enjoy their job, do they withhold the company’s values, are their references up to date, and whether they have a criminal record?

We discuss the importance of these checks and the steps organisations can take to land the best employee.

The importance of pre-employment checks

Pre-employment checks are an integral part of the hiring process for employers. These checks can help you find qualified candidates and protect your business from potential liability. 

Pre-employment screening helps organisations to determine the following:

  • Does this individual have permission to work in the country of employment? And by hiring the candidate, will you be complying with the laws?
  • Assess whether the candidate is suitable for the job and groups of people involved in the work – such as positions that require the individual to work with children or vulnerable groups.  
  • Does this candidate have the required skills and qualifications for the role?
  • Is the individual physically capable of performing the job requirements, though you must ensure that you are not discriminating

DBS Checks & Criminal Record Checks

Pre-employment checks UK

The type of employment checks your organisation will carry out depends on the industry and job requirements. There are several different types of pre-employment checks that you can conduct, and each one has its own benefits.

DBS checks

A DBS check is a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, a process that employers in the UK undergo. These checks can be made to ensure an employee’s suitability for employment or volunteer work with vulnerable people, such as children or adults who have mental health issues. Employers typically need to complete these checks when recruiting new employees, but some organisations may also require a DBS check for volunteers.

By performing a criminal record check, employers can ensure that they are hiring individuals who have a clean criminal history and are not associated with any criminal organisations. This helps protect both the employees and the business itself from any potential harm. 

Criminal record checks can be conducted in a variety of ways, depending on the size and complexity of the organisation. Typically, larger businesses will have more resources available to conduct more comprehensive checks, while smaller businesses may only be able to access basic information. Regardless of the size of the business, however, it is important to perform some form of criminal record check before making a new hire. 

Types of DBS checks:

  1. Standard DBS check: For individuals working in the public and private sectors. 
  2. Basic DBS check: Industries including ​​retail, office-based, hospitality and more.
  3. Enhanced DBS check: Comprehensive criminal record checks. 

Identity checks

Employers are responsible for ensuring that their employees are who they say they are. Employers can protect their businesses from potential fraud and theft by conducting identity checks. 

There are several different types of identity checks that employers can conduct, such as attributed identity and biographical identity; each of which has its own benefits and drawbacks. Employers should carefully consider which type of check is most appropriate for their business.

Online and social media checks

A person’s online and social media presence is a window to who they are as a person. When conducting background checks, employers should take into account the individual’s online and social media profiles. This can help them find good candidates who will fit in well with the company culture and be productive members of their team. 

Employers should also consider how an applicant might represent themselves on these public forums before hiring them for any sensitive position, such as those that require access to confidential information or customer data. Using this strategy helps employers identify red flags that could indicate problematic behaviour such as harassment or discrimination. This way, they can make more informed decisions about whether to hire someone based on factors other than qualifications alone.

In today’s age, it is completely normal for companies to ask for a link to social profiles to assess the nature of the potential candidate.

Employment references

When hiring a new employee, one of the most important steps an employer can take is to check references. Checking references is important because it allows employers to get information from former employers and colleagues of the applicant in order to make an informed decision about whether or not to offer the applicant a job. 

References can provide information on an applicant’s skills, work ethic, and more. In addition, employers should always contact previous employers directly to confirm the information provided by the applicant.

Medical checks

Medical checks are an essential part of the hiring process for many employers. By ensuring that your employees are healthy, you can help to reduce the risk of workplace injuries and sickness. 

By having a medical checkup before hiring someone, you can also ensure that your new employee is fit to do the job they have been hired to do. You can also identify any potential health risks and make arrangements to ensure that these employees are given the appropriate support. This can reduce the risk of workplace accidents and improve the overall safety of your workplace.

Right-to-work checks 

With the global movement of job seekers, right-to-work checks can help employers verify whether the employee can work in the United Kingdom. Right to work documents include ‘list A documents’, which indicate whether a worker has the right to work in the UK, whereas ‘list B documents’ indicate that a worker has a temporary or time-limited right to work in the UK.

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