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Services. Life Opportunities have received Registered Body status from the Home Office Agency, The Criminal Records Bureau. As an Umbrella Body we can provide a disclosure service not only in the pursuance of our own business but also for other organisations which may require a disclosure of criminal convictions for their staff. A Disclosure is a document containing information held by the police and government departments. Disclosures are provided by the Criminal Records Bureau (an executive agency of the Home Office) through Registered Bodies, such as Life Opportunities. The Disclosure is used by employers and voluntary organisations to make informed recruitment decisions. The Disclosure service offers organisations a means to check the background of job applicants to ensure that they do not have a history that would make them unsuitable for posts they are trying to fill. Disclosures will provide details of a person’s criminal record including convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings held on the Police National Computer (PNC). If the position involves working with children, Disclosures will also contain details from lists held by the Department of Health (DH) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) of those considered unsuitable for this type of work. Depending upon the level of Disclosure, it might also contain information held by local police forces. There are three levels of disclosure: Basic, Standard & Advanced. Basic Disclosure. (Contact us for further information). These are available for all types of employment and voluntary positions not covered by the higher-level Disclosures. This level of Disclosure contains details of convictions considered 'unspent' under the Rhabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and held on the Police National Computer. The basic Disclosure is applied for by, and issued only to the individual concerned. It is the individual's choice whether they show the Disclosure to the employer. It is not job-specific and can be used more than once. These are primarily for posts that involve working with children or vulnerable adults. Standard Disclosures may also be issued for people entering certain professions, such as members of the legal and accountancy professions. The Standard Disclosure contains details of all convictions held on the Police National Computer including current and ‘spent’ convictions as well as details of any cautions, reprimands or final warnings. If a position involves working with children, the Disclosure will indicate whether information is held on government department lists, held by the DH and DfES, of those who are banned from working with children. The Disclosure also includes information held by the DH of those considered unsuitable to work with vulnerable adults. Standard Disclosures are primarily for posts that involve working with children or vulnerable adults. This level of Disclosure contains details of all convictions held on the Police National Computer, as well as details of any cautions, reprimands or final warnings. These are for posts involving a far greater degree of contact with children or vulnerable adults. In general the type of work will involve regularly caring for, supervising, training or being in sole charge of such people. Examples include a teacher, scout or guide leader or care worker / manager. Enhanced Disclosures are also issued for certain statutory purposes such as gaming and lottery licences. This level of Disclosure involves an additional level of check to those carried out for the Standard Disclosure. An Enhanced Disclosure includes a check on local police records. Where local police records contain additional information that might be relevant to the post the applicant is being considered for, the Chief Officer of police may release information for inclusion in an Enhanced Disclosure. Exceptionally, and in a very small number of circumstances (typically to protect the integrity of current police investigations), additional information will be sent under separate cover to the Countersignatory and should not be revealed to the applicant. Life Opportunities are able to offer support to organisations in formulating the policy and procedure documents required by the Criminal Records Bureau in order to access Disclosures. These include policies on the recruitment of ex-offenders and the secure storage, handling, use, retention and disposal of Disclosures. Please contact us for more details. There are further definitions of the Disclosure categories on the FAQ page. Confidentiality & Information. This site © Life Opportunities 2006+ |
