Employers and voluntary organisations, many of whom will access the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) information for the first time, will be able to take it into account when judging a person’s suitability for a post. This service will strengthen safeguards for protecting children and vulnerable adults by providing employers with much wider access to criminal records information. But remember that you must get the employee’s permission first.

CRB privacy statement

The CRB is committed to compliance with the Data Protection Act and has a legal duty to do so. It will take every precaution to protect a person’s data. The following principles apply when they process personal data:

l data is only processed with the knowledge and consent of the person in question

l only data that is actually nee-ded is collected and processed

l the data is only seen by those who need it to do their jobs

l the data is retained only for as long as it is required

l the data is accurate and is only used as part of the CRB process

l decisions affecting employees are made on the basis of reliable and up-to-date data

l the data is protected from unauthorised or accidental disclosure

l on request, an employee will be provided with a copy of data held on them

l there will be procedures in place for dealing promptly with any disputes

l all will apply whether the data is held on paper or electronically.

A CRB check costs £26 for the standard check and £44 for an enhanced check.

Standard and enhanced disclosures

Both these levels of disclosure contain details of all convictions on the Police National Computer, including ’spent’ convictions ones that happened some time ago and normally do not need to be revealed, as specified in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Both levels also contain details of any police cautions, reprimands or warnings. Also, for posts involving contact with children, they contain any relevant information on the government department lists held by the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills.

The essential difference between standard and enhanced is that enhanced disclosures are for positions that involve a greater degree of contact with children and vulnerable adults, such as regularly caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge. This difference is reflected in the depth and detail of checking that is carried out. Enhanced disclosures also involve an extra level of checking with local police force records.

l For general enquiries, call 0870 9090 811 or visit http://tinyurl.com/6yhunn5