Online Criminal Background Check – What Does It Mean?

You may have heard the term online criminal background check in the context of pre-employment checks. If you are unsure what the term means for you, either as an employer or an employee, then read on to find out what you need to know.

The term refers to a background check made with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), which helps employers to make better and safer decisions when it comes to the recruitment of staff. Initially, they were intended to prevent unsuitable individuals from being recruited to positions of responsibility involving working with children and vulnerable adults. However, they are increasingly being used by employers to ensure that all prospective employees are of good character. These checks were formerly made with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). You may therefore hear them still referred to as CRB or Safeguarding checks. There are three levels of disclosure: standard, enhanced and enhanced with list checks. The standard report discloses spent and unspent convictions, reprimands, cautions and even final warnings. The enhanced report includes the above and any intelligence from the police relevant to the job in question. The final report includes a check on whether a named individual is specifically disbarred from working with children and adults. Many websites mistakenly give the impression that anyone can find out whether a prospective employee has a criminal record, but this is not the case. Official checks can only be carried out by employers or licensing bodies on individuals who have given their written permission and where proof of identity has been verified.

If you need to ascertain whether one or more prospective employees are suitable for your organisation, then one way to do so is through an agency like UK Background Checks. Our private investigator team can quickly and efficiently carry out an online criminal background check and tell you all you need to know. Call us today on +44(0)845 512 0440 or visit our website, https://www.ukbackgroundchecks.com/, for details.