Digital DBS checks are changing - here's how it affects you!

If your hiring process requires you to complete criminal record checks through DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service), there are some things you need to consider and action.

DBS have introduced new digital standards to the process of verifying a person’s identity for basic, standard and enhanced criminal record checks. This is all part of the new UK Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (UKDIATF) and is part of a larger effort, led by UK Government.

We've heard from some clients that there is uncertainty around the announcement and what it means for them, so this article aims to simplify things.

What exactly is changing?

The government have confirmed that legislation affecting DBS checks will be introduced from 6 April 2022.

This means that any software provider that enables businesses to complete DBS checks online (such as Amiqus) will need to become certified by accredited assessors. In order to become certified, these providers will have to meet the technical criteria set out by the DBS.

Do I need to action anything?

If you'd like to continue completing DBS checks digitally, now would be a good time to find a provider that will be certified. Otherwise you may need to revert to completing these checks using a manual, paper-based process.

To be clear, it is the software providers of digital DBS checks that need to become certified and not the organisations that use those services (such as yourselves). So your organisation shouldn't need to get certified.

Why is it changing?

Perhaps the best person to answer this question is Mark Sugden, Head of Identity at DBS. We were lucky enough to have him on our webinar in November, The future of right to work and criminal record checks.

‘There’s friction in the current process - it takes time for the candidate to pull documents together and they then have to go back to their new employer to get this identity check done. And employers aren't typically experts at looking at a passport or establishing whether that proof of address document is real. We’re relying on untrained identity checkers.’

Fraud is on the rise, it's becoming easier to falsify documents and information and you can be fined £20,000 per candidate for employing people who aren't who they say they are. Having a robust system of checking identity is critical.

‘The changes being implemented will streamline the criminal record check process massively. Your candidates can use a mobile phone to take an image of the photo page of the documents and the system can read the information that's embedded in that chip. And you can compare all that information with a video liveness or facial recognition check as well. So you get this immediate triangulation that the person is who they say they are to what we call a high confidence level. It's much more robust. And it can generate a much enhanced candidate journey which they don't actually need to leave the house for. So implementing that sort of technology, it requires a lot of standards and it requires a lot of rules.’

Watch the full interview with Mark Sugden

Will Amiqus be certified to provide digital DBS checks?

Yes, Amiqus has been involved in the consultation, testing and implementation stages of these new standards since 2019 and will be amongst the first to be certified.

If you'd like to have an informal chat with one of the Amiqus team about these changes, you can book a meeting.

About Amiqus

• Partnered with the REC, Amiqus is the market leading online candidate vetting and onboarding platform
• Complete right to work checks, identity verification, enhanced due diligence, criminal record and credit checks in minutes
• Securely gather candidate documentation, employment history and reference details with end-to-end encryption

This blog is by Natalie Ferguson from Amiqus. 

This is a guest blog contribution for the REC website. The views expressed by guest writers reflect the individual's personal opinions.