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When it comes to disclosure checks, much of the emphasis is on protecting children from harm. But what happens for companies employing workers who are under 18 themselves?

Lots of things are taking longer than usual at the moment. The global pandemic, and the impact of people working from home or remotely has affected everything from driving tests to getting a renewal on your passport. One of the main areas which has seen delays is the processing of DBS checks.

Recently released figures show that almost 1,700 offences have been recorded under new coercive control legislation which came into effect in Scotland last year. Police Scotland recorded 1,681 crimes in the year to April 2020.

If you’ve ever seen the movie “Catch Me If You Can” starring Leonardo di Caprio, you’ll be familiar with the concept of academic fraud. People fake qualifications and lie on their CVs all the time. It’s not seen as a serious misdemeanour.

Wherever you live, the rules around face masks are enforced by law, and people who aren’t medically exempt and refuse to wear a mask or other covering could face fines. There is much confusion around what this actually means – does it mean you’ll get a criminal record and could it turn up on a future DBS check?

According to figures recently released by the UK government, the official Gov.UK Verify portal saw a huge surge in traffic in the early days of the Covid19 pandemic. At one point, the portal was handling around 10,000 applications per day.

If you have your heart set on a career at sea, there are a few more hurdles to jump than the standard employment screening. Whatever the type of job you are applying for, employers will ask to see your passport as proof of nationality.

A recent survey among voluntary groups and charities in Surrey has revealed that 90% of charities of all sizes are expected to see a huge drop in income for 2020-21. 15% of groups did not expect to weather the storm, facing closure on a permanent basis.

The precarious economic situation and the fact that many people have been furloughed or laid-off as a consequence of coronavirus have left to a spike in upfront fee scams.

We are now moving out of lockdown and into a system whereby the government aims to track down the people who have the virus and trace their contacts. The smartphone app is still in trial stages, and the process relies heavily on a team of contact tracers.