We are often asked to recommend an appropriate level of screening for employers and thought it would be useful to publish more information about the level and type of screening. In broad terms screening can be classified into seven main categories which we have outlined below. These are not exclusive categories.
Financial background checks. This covers data such as history of CCJs, Court Decrees, Bankruptcy, Sequestrations, and Insolvency. It can also include lists such as HM Treasury and OFAC to identify if an individual is listed on any databases for sanctions, fraud, etc.
Employment history. This covers the employee / applicant’s previous stated employment to verify that they were employed, dates employed, etc. Also this can include any adverse information that a past employer is willing to provide, for example if an employee was dismissed from a company.
Qualifications and professional memberships. Any qualifications or professional memberships that an employee or applicant has can be verified to confirm authenticity.
Criminal record checks. There are essentially 3 levels of CRB checks, these are Basic, Standard, and Enhanced. As an employer you must adhere to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and not obtain a CRB check inappropriate for the type of employment. You can read more about CRB checks on our main website here.
Personal / character references. References can be obtained from personal friends of the employee or applicant, and also professional references to attest an individual’s character.
Identity verifications. These are in two forms, one is the physical photo ID verification against a physical document such as a passport. The other is from searches of databases to confirm an identity exists linked to a given address, etc.
Industry specific screening. This varies by sector, for the Financial Services there is the FSA “fit and proper persons test”, for many Government departments there is the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) and for more classified areas such as the MoD there are CTC, SC and DV for increased levels of security vetting. Within the Security Industry (e.g. guarding, alarm installation etc) there is BS7858:2006 which details how screening must be conducted to meet with regulated compliance.
You can read more about our employee screening services here:
