Volunteers will soon benefit from a free service which will allow them to re-use criminal records checks time and time again, the government announced today.
The move will cut red-tape and reduce the burden on those who give up their time to work with vulnerable groups.
From early next year, millions of employees and volunteers will no longer have to apply for a new criminal records check each time they apply for a job.
Instead they will only have to apply once to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a certificate and can then go online for an instant check to find out whether their existing certificate is still up to date.
This will avoid the need for individuals to apply for multiple checks to work with different organisations and volunteers will be able to use the service for free when they apply for different volunteering opportunities.
The change to the current system will also speed up the recruitment process for public and private sector employers, saving organisations time and money and making it easier for people to change jobs in the same sector (i.e. the NHS) while ensuring robust safeguarding measures are in place.
Among those who will benefit from the new portable service are junior and locum doctors who would have previously had to apply for a new check every time they move hospital, agency workers who may register with a number of employment agencies looking for work and volunteers who work with more than one organisation.
For paid employees there will be a small annual subscription fee, which will be less than the cost of a new criminal record check.
The Update Service will be managed by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) which recently live following the merger of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).
Individuals and organisations can register their interest in finding out more about the Update Service when it is launched at: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/dbs-subscribe
For further information, visit: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/dbs/news/latest-news/criminal-checks-volunteers