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Millions of us volunteer in the UK every year. Over the course of a year, about 40% of people get involved in some sort of voluntary work, whether on a regular basis or as a one-off. It’s hard to put a value on all of this unpaid effort, but what is certainly true is that events and activities just couldn’t run without enthusiastic volunteers.

For several years, the government has been publishing data on how quickly DBS checks are being processed around the UK. Figures are issued quarterly, and the most recent figures show performance between April and September 2019.

If you’ve applied for a DBS check recently, then don’t be surprised if your certificate looks a little different to the certificates which have been issued in the past. The Disclosure and Barring Service has recently announced a change in the way certificates are printed, and although the changes are minor, it’s something which both applicants and employers should be aware of.

In most cases, people with a criminal record would prefer to keep this hidden and not tell anyone about it unless absolutely necessary. If you’ve ever thought that you’re the only person with a criminal record at your employer or in your circle of friends you’re probably wrong. Around 11 million adults in the UK have a criminal record.

The latest on the Brexit news from the UK is that it has been delayed – again – until the UK goes through a General Election campaign for a vote on 12th December. The main group affected by this are European citizens who are living and working in the UK, with another delay to Brexit just adding to the uncertainty.

After you have filled in your DBS application form, the next step is to put together some documents to back up your identity and address history. Lots of the websites you see will talk about recent and original documents but what exactly does this mean?

One of the big misconceptions about the DBS system is that it just applies to people who are going to be working with children. In fact, disclosure checks apply to a much wider group of workers, often in sectors which have little to do with childcare. There’s been so much publicity about DBS for childcare workers that this had led to a very confusing picture.

Most of us have heard of disclosure checks, or the system which went before it, the Criminal Record Bureau checks. This is the type of police check you need for a huge range of jobs involving positions of responsibility, or working with children and vulnerable groups.

Sometimes it seems like there are more hoops than ever to jump through when you want a new job. Gone are the days when you’d phone up about a job advert, have a quick chat on the phone and start the next day. Increasingly, employers are running a large number of checks on workers.

In 2019, we’re all about speed. If we see something we want online, there’s an option for next day delivery, and shops are open around the clock. So it can come as a bit of a surprise when you’re confronted with delay. That’s certainly the case when it comes to DBS checks.