1 December 2012 saw the launch of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), a merger between the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).
The Home Office has announced that merger of the CRB and the ISA into the DBS brings together the skills, knowledge and experience of both organisations in helping employers to make safer recruitment decisions and in preventing unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups including children. Customers and stakeholders will still use the same contact details as they have always done – whether it’s applying for criminal record checks or referring people for safeguarding decisions. The Home Office announcement also confirms that there are some changes ahead. In 2013, one change is that the DBS will start issuing the disclosure certificate only to the applicant. This will give the applicant a much fairer process in challenging or clarifying any information on the disclosure, before it is shared with the employer.
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