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Christmas party season will shortly be upon us and a huge part of the festivities for children is the annual Christmas party. Parties take place at school, church, and a whole host of other venues over the month, and for adults who don’t want to organise the whole event themselves, the obvious solution is to hire a professional children’s entertainer.

Guaranteeing that overseas employees can legally drive company vehicles may present a complex challenge. Conducting licence checks can reveal whether an employee is subject to a driving ban, whether they have penalty points, and whether they are permitted by law to drive the specific type of vehicle required for their job. In the UK, this task is relatively straightforward, especially for employees from European Economic Area (EEA) countries.

Renting a property can be an anxiety-inducing experience for both tenants and landlords, especially at a time where property experts are reporting increasing demands on the rental sector. With dozens of applications to rent every property, prospective tenants are keen to get things right. Navigating paperwork and deadlines, along with ensuring a seamless move, can be overwhelming.

Most of us know that there is a level of police criminal record checking for people who want to work as nurses, care staff or teaching children. In England and Wales, these checks are run by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), with sister bodies called Disclosure Scotland and AccessNI in other parts of the UK. What might come as a surprise is that there is a whole host of other occupations which might require a DBS check too.

The UK body charged with police oversight, has uncovered significant deficiencies in vetting standards. These failures have resulted in individuals with criminal records or ties to organised crime obtaining positions in the police force. The review conducted by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) looked closely at police vetting files

DBS checks are available for asylum seekers and refugees, although securing the required forms of identification can cause difficulties for recruiters. For those who are not UK citizens, options for identification documents include a biometric residence permit, a passport, or a UK driving licence card showing the holder’s photograph. Many people who are going through the asylum process have none of these official proofs of identity.

Employers across Bristol and Somerset have recently complained that lengthy waiting periods associated with DBS checks are leading to significant delays in job commencements and creating bottlenecks in recruitment procedures. For roles involving interactions with children and vulnerable adults, usually in education, childcare or healthcare roles, an enhanced DBS check is a legal requirement before the candidate starts employment.

The Disclosure and Barring Service has been in operation for 10 years now, and since the organisation started its work in December 2012 it has processed over 52 million checks. Despite the huge volume of checks which have been processed, many job seekers are still confused about exactly what an employer is allowed to ask, and what they can do with any information provided.

In a competitive job market any negative aspects on your background screening can automatically put your application into the “reject” pile. It’s only natural that applicants want to take steps to try to clean up their background check before the employer runs the screening. But what aspects of your background are employers actually looking for, and how do you present yourself in the best light?

MP's and campaigners are calling for the closure of a loophole in legislation which allows convicted sex offenders to change their names, effectively disappearing from Police records. The latest figures show that between 2017 and 2020, 900 offenders who were required to be listed on the sex offenders’ register went missing, with police not knowing their whereabouts.