Essex County Council owns and operates Essex Disclosure Service, an umbrella organisation that manages the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checking process on behalf of companies, ensuring that all legal requirements are met. Essex Disclosure Service provides expert advice and information, identifying  your company requirements and employee CRB eligibility, and managing the entire checking process from start to finish on your company’s behalf.

Since March 2002, the CRB has enabled employers to check the criminal records of employees and potential employees, in order to ascertain whether or not they are suitable to work with sensitive information, vulnerable adults and children. For workers with roles in these areas, a valid CRB disclosure is a requirement of the job.

Additionally, there are lists of individuals who are barred from working with children and vulnerable adults, These are managed by the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). The ISA offers advice on barring decisions, and is referred to when CRB checks are made. New safeguarding regulations introduced in October 2009 place an obligation on employers, social services and professional regulators to notify the ISA of relevant information so that individuals who pose a threat to vulnerable groups can be barred from working with them. Additionally, it has become a criminal offence for a person who is barred from working with vulnerable groups to apply for a job that involves working with vulnerable groups.

The requirements for checks of different levels varies from company to company, depending on industry sector and the employee role within a company. Having been registered with the Criminal Records Bureau since 2002, Essex Disclosure Service is well placed to ensure that all your customer requirements are fulfilled in a cost-effective manner.