For the most part, the type of disclosure most facilities teams need to be concerned with will be the basic disclosure, due to launch in summer 2002.
Facilities managers should consider requiring such a disclosure for anyone who will be handling cash, security, and general supervision of events. They may even feel it necessary to have first aiders apply for disclosure.
There may be posts within some teams that require a higher level disclosure — specifically those facilities managers responsible for running events programmes in public buildings such as town halls, libraries or arts centres.
Police checks are already a standard requirement for a number of jobs and positions, for example teachers, social workers and nurses. In addition to gaining access to the police national computer — the centralised information point for the police forces of England and Wales — employers using the disclosure system will also have access to records held by local forces. There are also other types of checks where government departments such as the Department for Education and Skills and the Department of Health hold information specific to required professional needs, such as information about people considered unsuitable to work with children or vulnerable adults.
Precautions
Facilities professionals will need the services of the CRB where their work involves dealing directly with the general public. For those recruiting staff who are taking up posts for the first time, for example school-leavers or graduates, the disclosure scheme will form part of an assurance that you have taken the best precautions available to employ the safest person for the job.
Disclosure can act as a supplement to references, but is not intended to replace them. CRB disclosure shows that you have done your utmost to recruit not only the best person for a job, but the safest.
In total there will be three different levels of disclosure — enhanced, standard and basic. This autumn, the CRB will begin phasing in the issuing of the two higher level disclosures — standard and enhanced. These disclosures will only be available to employers in 'caring' professions and will be issued in respect of positions, paid or voluntary, which involve working with children or vulnerable adults. They should help organisations identify candidates who may be unsuitable for such work, but may also deter unsuitable candidates from applying. The CRB has been endorsed by the Chartered Institute for Personnel Development.
Disclosure information can not be sought by everyone. The individual job candidate will have to make the application for any of the disclosures and their application will need to be countersigned by a body registered with the CRB for this purpose. In the case of a standard or enhanced disclosure, both the individual and the countersigning body will then receive a copy of the disclosure. Only the candidate will receive a copy of a basic disclosure, which they can show to their prospective employer.
At a glance — the disclosure scheme
The Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) was set up to provide employers with access to a prospective employee’s criminal record and other information, where appropriate. The CRB can offer guidance on the appropriate type of disclosure (there are three) for a particular job. The government recently set the cost of a disclosure at £12, to be paid by the job applicant. However, it will be open to employers to reimburse the cost to the applicant, in the same way as train fares and other expenses incurred by candidates. Standard and enhanced disclosures need to be endorsed by a person or organisation registered in advance with the CRB. Companies wishing to register can phone in for a registration pack on a dedicated line (0870 9090822) and apply. There is a one-off registration fee of £300, with an additional £5 per countersignatory. Those companies, who cannot afford to or do not want to register, can access the disclosure system through an umbrella body, such as a local education authority. Basic disclosures, which will be of most use to facilities managers, will:- be available from summer 2002
- contain information only on current convictions
- be available to any individual, regardless of their field of employment
- sent only to the applicant
- normally be provided within one week of the application being made.
The CRB has an information line on 0870 9090811. It can also be found on two dedicated websites — www.crb.gov.uk and www.disclosure.gov.uk
Source
The Facilities Business
Postscript
Shereen Harrack-Singh works for the Criminal Records Bureau
Tel: 020 7901 2478.
www.crb.gov.uk