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We’re all used to the idea of people in positions of responsibility having to go through a criminal record check before starting work but what about our nearest and dearest? Can you ask for a DBS check on your sister’s new boyfriend after hearing rumours that he has a violent past?

The first thing checked by parents who are choosing a school or childcare centre is often the OFSTED ratings. OFSTED is the government body for England and Wales which assesses the safety and quality of provision for schools, childminders, nurseries and similar establishments.

Most parents are aware of the fact that people who look after children in nurseries or in hospitals require a criminal records check. However, there is a lot of confusion about what happens in a situation where the parents are present along with their children. Do staff or volunteers still need a DBS check in these situations? It’s a fairly complex picture, so let’s go through it step by step.

We’ve all seen the images from British airports this summer, with queues of holiday makers waiting to collect their bags or have their passports checked. And you could argue that those are the lucky ones – the people who have made it to the airport without their flights being cancelled. The disruption is being put down to difficulties in hiring new staff after the pandemic, but what is really going on?

UK rules around illegal working changed in April 2022, and some employees can now only have their right to work in the UK checked electronically. Before that date, employers had a choice of methods for checking; they could ask an applicant to bring in their original passport, check documents on a video call, or use an online portal for workers with certain classes of visa or UK immigration status.

The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) is more commonly known as Clare’s Law after a well-known victim of domestic violence. This scheme allows police to tell a victim of domestic abuse about any violence or abuse that their partner has been accused or convicted of in the past. The DVDS was set up in March 2014 and applies to all Police Forces in England and Wales.

Even the most basic recruitment process will have some degree of background checking. Most applicants see background checks such as supplying references just another administrative hurdle to get through, or inconvenient paperwork. Applicants don’t often stop to think about whether all this background checking is important or not.

The costs of living increase are hitting all business sectors at present. Transportation of all types is particularly affected, with rocketing fuel prices pushing up prices for the goods on our supermarket shelves, and the price of public transport. Taxi drivers in many parts of the UK are facing even steeper price rises, with Councils passing on the charges for background checking onto the drivers.

The war in Ukraine sparked a humanitarian response from across Europe, with thousands of people in the UK volunteering to host Ukrainian families fleeing the conflict. The government’s hastily arranged Homes for Ukraine scheme aimed to match people in the UK with those needing accommodation, but is it working in the way it was intended?

The shift to employing people to work remotely has brought huge benefits to some employers, who have found that workers are just as productive at home as in the office, allowing them to cut costs on office rents. Going forward, it seems that home working is here to stay. But are there different rules around recruitment checks for home-based position?