CRB, Disclosure Scotland and AccessNI Checks

Following the murders of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells by Ian Huntley (a school caretaker) in 2002, the Bichard Inquiry was commissioned. One of the issues this Inquiry looked at was the way employers recruit people to work with children and vulnerable adults.

It asked whether the way employers check the background of job applicants is reliable enough. It also asked whether employers should be responsible for deciding whether a job applicant can be safely employed.

The Inquiry’s recommendations led to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which recognised the need for a single agency to vet all individuals who want to work or volunteer with vulnerable people.

The Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) was created to fulfil this role across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. (Scotland is developing its own similar system, which will work closely with the ISA.)

The ISA will assess every person who wants to work or volunteer with children or vulnerable adults. We will do this by working closely with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and AccessNI.

The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)

The CRB established under the Part V of the Police Act 1997 and formally launched in March 2002 is an Executive Agency of the Home Office, which provides wider access to Criminal Record information through its Disclosure service for England and Wales. It was launched amid rising public concern about the safety of Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults; as it was found that the British Police did not have the capability or resources to process and fulfill the vast number of Criminal Record Checks requested quickly enough, thus leading to the set up of the Criminal Records Bureau to carry out such tasks.

Access NI

Established under Part V of the Police Act 1997 is a Criminal History service that discloses criminal history information to individuals and organizations who request it for recruitment and other sensitive positions which typically involve working with Children and Vulnerable Adults.

Global Vetting is a registered body with AccessNI and is currently undergoing registration with the CRB and Disclosure Scotland. As a result Global Vetting will be able to carry out UK CRB checks on clients behalf.

Disclosure Scotland

Like the CRB, Disclosure Scotland was launched in April 2002 after being developed under the guidance of the Scottish Government following the decree of Part V of the Police Act 1997. This introduced a system to disclose criminal history information to individuals and organizations who request it for employment and other purposes where it is needed. The certificates they issue known as ‘Disclosures’ give details on an individual’s Criminal Convictions or simply state that they have none.