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You hear people about passing and failing things all the time – exams, driving tests, credit checks, and DBS checks. You’ll even see it in job adverts, where recruiters say that appointment is conditional on passing a criminal records check. The problem is that this language isn’t really accurate and paints a false picture of how the system operates in practice.

One of the main DBS myths is that only people who are going to be working with children need checks into their criminal record. Although it’s certainly true that most people who will be working with kids will need an enhanced DBS check, there are lots of other groups of workers who need to go through the process too.

It’s common to see jobs advertised which state that applicants need to complete a disclosure check. There are a few steps before you get to that stage though, one of the most important of which is to verify your identity.

The surge of volunteers stepping forward to help the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic came as no surprise to people who work in the UK voluntary sector. Even before the pandemic hit, 20 million of us were giving up time on a regular basis to volunteer for a cause close to their hearts.

It’s natural to be a little concerned about what might be revealed on a disclosure certificate. It’s not a procedure which most of us go through every day, and few people understand the intricacies of the system. To add to the confusion, the way in which information is presented has changed several times over the years.

Starting a new job means lots of filling in forms with things like bank details so you can get paid, and your P45 from your last job to ensure that your tax is in order. If your new position needs a police criminal records check too, then there’s a bit more paperwork which you have to complete before you can get your certificate in the post.

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act in the UK dates back to 1975, way before the creation of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) or its predecessor, the Criminal Records Bureau, or CRB. One of the core components of the 1975 was the idea of “spent” convictions.

One of the most common myths around references is that it’s illegal for an employer to give you a bad one. This isn’t actually true, and with more employers checking carefully into the backgrounds of the people they employ, it’s important to know the position around giving and receiving references, and why employers might want to check.

Understandably, the recruitment process for joining the police is somewhat more involved than most other types of employment. There are some things which will probably see you fail the vetting though and knowing what these are will put you in a better position when deciding whether to apply or not.

Concerns over safety and care of relatives in care homes puts the family in an impossible position; they are unable to provide care for home at their elderly relative, but they don’t feel that they would be safe in a care home either. However, there could be a third option, of paying a full time carer, or carers, to live-in. But how practical – and expensive – is this choice?