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The new Omicron variant, discovered at the end of 2021, seems to be less serious, but has caused a huge spike in infections, leading to millions of UK workers being asked to isolate when they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive. Worries over lack of staff to run schools has led the government to issue appeals to former teachers, asking them to return to the classroom to help out.

The announcement about permanent changes to the Right to Work process came right in the middle of the Christmas and New Year holidays in the UK. The paper, released on 27th December 2021, put forward a proposal to extend the current arrangements for checking Right to Work status digitally, and move to a fully digital service for all members of staff by the start of the next financial year at the start of April 2022.

The DBS do not make recruitment decisions for businesses, or issue certificates with a pass or fail. A DBS certificate will just lay out the information for the recruiters to assess. One of the main roles of the DBS is to manage the Barred Lists, and recently issued figures show that the number of people included on these lists has risen rapidly.

Bar work, retail or part-time office work is where you’ll find most office workers, and these positions rarely require a criminal records check. However, if you are a student who is considering taking part time work in healthcare, trying to get some work experience in a school, or even working as casual staff in the Royal Mail, you might need a DBS check.

The January 2021 revelation by the UK government that coding errors on the Police National Computer meant thousands of records were deleted went largely unnoticed, as it came in the midst of the post-Christmas lockdowns and waves of coronavirus infections. However, in July 2021 the policing minister gave more details, and told parliament that over 200,000 offences, relating to over 112,000 people had been accidentally deleted from the system.

Some paperwork will be employer-specific, and others, like police criminal records checks, will depend on the sort of work you will be doing. However, the most basic form of checking, the Right to Work Check, applies to everything. So, what’s it all about?

Getting a DBS check is a standard part of many job applications, especially for people working in healthcare or with children. There are many reasons why an applicant, or employer, might want to withdraw a DBS application which is already underway.

Most people associate DBS checks with education and healthcare, but these are far from the only sectors where some level of criminal records checking is required on some employees. Financial services companies such as banks, building societies and insurance companies have to be very careful about who they recruit, as in this sector there is potentially the opportunity for fraud or theft.

On the DBS certificates for the two most detailed levels of check, the police may disclose convictions and cautions which are classed as spent in other situations. Although it’s essential to disclose this level of detail in order to safeguard the vulnerable adults or children who the employee might be working with, it also raises some issues about confidentiality.

Are you a trusting type of person who takes everyone at face value? Many of us are, and don’t like to go through life thinking of everyone we meet as a potential scammer or criminal. Employers though can’t take the risk of relying on their gut instinct or first impressions when it comes to taking on new employees.