Disclosure News June 2009

The newsletter for all new developments in the Disclosure service.

Issue 75 June 2009

Welcome to June's edition of Disclosure News: the newsletter for all new developments in the Disclosure service.

To view Disclosure News in a different format, view the PDF version (new window).

This month:

• Editorial
• Avoiding application form errors 
• A standard target enhanced 
• VBS on the road 
• CRB Contacts
  

Editorial

Welcome to the June edition of Disclosure News.

We have been asked by organisations to provide details of the most common errors that result in delays in the application process and have provided you with your very own check list to refer to each time you countersign an application. Be sure to take copies of the list via the PDF link above and put them up around the office and hopefully you will see some noticeable improvements in time for the second compliance update in July.

Avoiding application form errors

Avoiding Disclosure application form errors

It is the legal obligation and responsibility of all registered Countersignatories to ensure every application is fully and accurately completed. It is important that you have carefully read the guidance notes available, and have conducted quality assurance checks, before submitting applications to the CRB. Having such procedures in place should help improve the quality of data provided on application forms and, therefore, avoid delays in the application process and improve the accuracy of the results.

Have you checked that the applicant has...

• Completed the form in black ink?
• Completed Sections A to D in block capitals?
• Used an tick rather than a x in the boxes?
• Avoided the use of correction fluid?
• Not written ‘non-applicable’ or ‘N/A’ as an answer?
• Provided continuous address history covering the past five years? A continuation sheet should be used if the addresses cannot be recorded in Sections A & D.
• Crossed the box in Section H if they have used a continuation sheet?
• Recorded the same date of birth in Section A as you have written in Section X?
• Recorded a middle name in Section A if their driving licence or signature indicates a middle initial?

Check that the applicant has completed Section C accurately. Have they...

Completed ‘surname at birth’ if:

• Title in Section A is anything other than ‘Miss’ or ‘Mr’?
• Surname has changed for whatever reason?
• A female marries but her surname remains the same?
• A female uses a title such as ‘Dr’ or ‘Reverend’?
• Provided dates when they have used any other forenames/surnames?
• Used C22 only for other surnames and C25 only for other forenames?
• Included all variations of double barrelled surnames in Section C?
  Any of these errors may result in the form being returned unprocessed or delay the results of the certificate.

Copies of the Applicants Guide to Completing the Application Form and an example of a continuation sheet can be downloaded from the CRB Website in the Resource Library section.

A standard target enhanced

Part of our new Business Plan, which will be available to you all in July, includes targets for the CRB to achieve over the coming year. Most of the targets included in the 2008/09 plan have remained the same; however the bar for completing our Standard Disclosures has been raised to reflect our consistent high standard of performance.
Since 2006, the target has been for the CRB to complete 90% of all Standard Disclosures within 10 days and, since the target was introduced, we have consistently exceeded it.

In the past year alone, each month has seen high performance rates with the CRB completing more than 99% of all Standard Disclosures in the target time for nine out of the 12 months and publishing an excellent figure of 99.2% for the whole year’s performance.

As a result of this, our target for Standard Disclosures has now increased to complete 95% of checks within 10 days. John Raftery, Head of Operations says:

“This is excellent news that the CRB is able to raise one of its important targets to reflect the consistent performance that has continued over the past four years. It is also good news for our customers as the high standard should mean increased satisfaction from those Registered Bodies who carry out Standard Disclosures on their employees or licence applications for example.”

As we informed you in April’s edition, the criteria for Standard Disclosures will change from 12 October 2009 in line with the introduction of the Vetting & Barring Scheme. We will keep you informed of any developments through future editions of Disclosure News and our website www.crb.gov.uk

VBS on the road

The Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) is currently embarking on an intense communication and marketing campaign to ensure that all those that will be affected by the changes on 12 October 2009 and 26 July 2010 are aware, well informed and understand how it will impact on them.

The VBS Home Office team is working closely with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and the CRB on a number of initiatives to get information to customers to prepare them for the launch. These include a programme of VBS roadshows where representatives from the VBS Home Office team, the CRB and the ISA will be delivering presentations on their roles within the scheme and answering any questions you have. A list of these roadshows is available at www.isa-gov.org.uk where you can also register to receive updates on all events.

Customer and sector specific guidance on VBS will be made available later this year via the ISA and CRB websites.

Frequently asked questions which cover the VBS, the ISA and the CRB will also be available and a direct marketing campaign will follow, targeting Registered Bodies and employers.

If you have any further questions around VBS, you can call the ISA contact centre on 0300 123 1111 or, alternatively, if you have a question about any aspect of CRB’s role within the scheme you can e-mail customerservices@crb.gsi.gov.uk  

CRB Contacts

Address
PO Box 110
Liverpool L69 3EF

Information line: 0870 90 90 811
Registration line: 0870 90 90 822
Disputes line: 0870 90 90 778
Welsh line: 0870 90 90 223
Application line: 0870 90 90 844
Minicom line: 0870 90 90 344

Website: www.crb.gov.uk