As of 1 December 2012 the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) as we know it will be a thing of the past, as it merges with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) to form the all new Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

The creation of the DBS comes as a direct result of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, which for the first time established a joint service to combine both the criminal records and barring functions.

Despite the merger of the two independent organisations, the delivery of the service currently provided by the CRB will not be altered by the merger. The CRB are keen to reassure their customers that business will continue as normal during this transition.

For the main, the transition will be an exercise in rebranding, with few physical changes to the infrastructure of either the CRB or the ISA. There will of course be a new DBS logo, along with minor changes to the application form and the clearance certificate customers receive. The website will also receive a slight revamp, with a change to some of the language used both on and offsite.

If you require any further information about the forthcoming changes then the Criminal Records Bureau section of the Home Office’s official website will keep you up to date with everything you need to know.

Alternatively, here at CB Screening we aim to keep you fully informed of any changes you should be aware of, so check in at our regularly updated blog for all the latest developments. 

The Criminal Records Bureau has recently commissioned a survey by a leading research company to build up accurate and timely information about the level of their customers’ satisfaction. This is the most recent in a long line of research programmes designed to keep the CRB fully informed about the behaviour of their customers, with registered and umbrella bodies contacted by an independent research company by phone between February and March 2012 and asked a series of questions.

The primary aim of the CRB is to provide a high level of service that protects children and vulnerable adults from individuals who are being recruited into a position of care. It is only by carrying out independent research in this way that the Criminal Records Bureau can measure whether they are achieving this objective.

This year’s research showed that:

• 92% of CRB applicants were satisfied with the level of service they received, whilst 62% were very satisfied;
• Over eight out of ten recipients were pleased with their CRB check turnaround time;
• 89% of applicants believed the CRB was having a positive influence on the protection vulnerable adults and children receive in the UK;
• More than nine out of ten organisations admitted that CRB checks improve their ability to protect vulnerable adults;
• In the past ten years over 151,000 unsuitable people have been prevented from securing employment in a role which supports vulnerable adults or children.

These results are an extremely positive sign for the Criminal Records Bureau, showing that the service they currently provide is highly valued by their customers and meets or surpasses their expectations in the majority of cases. A copy of the full research report is available on the Home Office website.

A reform of the CRB vetting process has been announced as part of the Government’s review of the Vetting and Barring Scheme. The new scaled back employment vetting scheme comes as a result of The Protection of Freedoms Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament. Part of this proposal, if passed, will see the Independent Safeguarding Authority and the Criminal Records Bureau join together to become a single entity known as the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).   

The new organisation will be responsible for delivering the services currently provided by both the CRB and the Independent Safeguarding Authority. It is yet to be decided who will run the outsourced organisation, although the Home Office have already issued a tender to do so.

The services themselves offered by the new Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) are to be reformed, with the introduction of a new, portable disclosure service one measure which is expected be introduced.

The date for the DBS to come into being has been set for November 2012, although this may change in accordance with Parliamentary Timetabling. Employees of both the CRB and the Independent Safeguarding Authority will be relieved to hear that neither body will have to relocate as part of the merger.

As further information is released about the implications of the Disclosure and Barring Service on the CRB, here at CB Screening we will endeavour to keep you fully up to date.