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According to official figures there are around 14.5 million people in the UK who volunteer regularly. Volunteers do everything from working behind the counter at their local charity shop to pushing tea trolleys round hospital wards. Volunteers are an unpaid army who contribute in a multitude of ways to their local economies.

The General Data Protection Regulation, usually abbreviated to GDPR, was introduced across Europe in May 2018. Even though the UK had already voted to leave the EU at that point, the GDPR rules still apply. Most businesses are up to speed already with their GDPR responsibilities, but some are still lacking.

The latest performance figures are out and they show that around the country, police forces are performing better against targets than previously. Nationally, the target of the majority of DBS checks being completed within 14 days is being achieved, but only marginally.

Would you be able to spot a fake passport or driving licence if you saw one? What about a bank statement or utility bill? If your job is to organise DBS checks for people joining your organisation, then being alert for fakes is one of your main responsibilities.

There’s been lots of discussion about how important DBS checks are in order to safeguard children. Teachers, sports coaches and other people working with children usually need an enhanced disclosure check, and the processes for going about this is widely understood. But what happens when you have a young person who wants to work with children or vulnerable adults?

How careful are you with what you write on social media sites? Most people are aware that anything they post on a public feed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or similar might come back to haunt them when applying for a new job. No prospective employer is going to be impressed with posts being critical of your previous employer, or sharing racist or abusive posts.

Having a “family doctor” who can be called upon at any time of the day or night is a thing of the past. Despite successive governments claiming that they want to change the NHS into a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week service, we’re still some way from that. If someone falls ill out of regular surgery hours, but not ill enough to make a trip to A&E, you’ll probably end up seeing an out of hours GP at a drop in centre.

Ofsted, the agency which regulates schools in England and Wales, continues to raise concerns over the number of unregistered schools which continue to operate across the country. By law, all schools should be registered with the authorities, and meet certain safety standards. These include looking at the types of buildings which the schools operate in, and the types of staff they employ.

In an attempt to constantly improve and upgrade their service, the DBS has recently announced an option to apply for a disclosure and barring service check in Welsh. This is just the latest tweak to the DBS processing options, alongside the ability to pay for basic checks using online payment services and several other changes regarding identity checking

Nearly everyone uses social media, and for most people it’s a great way to keep in touch with friends and find out what your favourite celebrities and brands are up to. However, a minority of people get into trouble every year over their use of social media. In serious cases, this could result in prosecution and a criminal record. Are you risking your police record with your Twitter or Instagram posts?