BS7858 2012 is the industry standard for vetting of people employed in the security sector here in the UK.
It is set by the British Standards Institution and was last updated in 2013 to ensure its relevance to the industry. British Standards Institution
In the past 10 years BS7858 screening has being introduced across the U.K to ensure that standards are maintained and that those employees working in sensitive areas or with vulnerable people are properly vetted correctly.
If you have questions about applying the BS7858 vetting standard in your organisation then contact cysOnline today for a no obligation quote.

BS7858 Screening
In April 2013, the previous standard for vetting of security staff was withdrawn and replaced with BS7858:2012 ‘Security screening of individuals employed in a security environment – Code of Practice’. The new standard updated and replaced the former code with an improved view of how security employees should be vetted.
The updating of the standard was seen as a good thing in the industry, however employers still face an onerous series of requirements. cysOnline are a specialist provider of vetting solutions and are ideally placed to help you with BS7858 2012 screening. Our online solution provides transparent, quick and accurate results perfect for today’s security sector.

BS7858 Vetting Requirements

1. 5 years of employment verification
2. 6 year credit search
3. Proof of ID & UK right to work
4. Proof of address
5. A character reference
6. A valid SIA licence or carrying out basic disclosure/ACPO
7. Explanation of any 31+ day employment gaps

Employers are also required to set up a screening file for each candidate and retain it for 7 years following termination of employment. cysOnline are experienced and fully G.D.P.R compliant. We can guide you through this important process.
Having a single standard across the UK was an essential development as it means that the public can have confidence that security staff they come across are checked as far as possible and employers can have reassurance that the people working for them are reliable and honest.
Reducing the risk of employing disreputable staff in this way is vital for recruitment agencies. Providing unsuitable employees to an event, or dishonest staff for a retail environment, could cause serious reputational damage to the company and lead to loss of clients.

BS7858 2012 Vetting Procedure Explained

The BS7858 2012 standard also includes other pieces of UK legislation such as an individual’s right to work. Essentially meaning this one check can be carried out for basic employment and security duties at the same time.

The standard also requires that breaks in employment of more than 31 days are fully explained. For most candidates it could simply be explained by unemployment, extended holiday or extended studying away from home. For others however any extended time out of employment may mean something more worrying such as a prison sentence or being held on remand. Previously, only 2 personal referees were required for this; now documentary evidence is required such as a utility bill or bank statements including 1 character reference covering this gap in employment. cysOnline are in contact with candidates on a daily basis ensuring these references and documents are requested quickly ensuring as fast as possible clearance or otherwise.

There are many issues that need checking which need detailed and experienced understanding. Here at cysOnline, our experienced candidate vetting staff can take on this onerous job leaving you to run other essential parts of your business.  Employee vetting is a complex administrative issue, to find and collate all of the information needed and analyse them correctly can be time consuming. This is a problem for all scales of employer and is compounded when they are required to access external services such as credit check bureau. The smaller company will face higher costs per candidate as they tend to have a low volume of service use. However, at cysOnline you only pay for what you use so your costs are fixed and don’t fluctuate.

The break in employment requirement of BS7858 2012 is a tricky problem for most agencies and potential employees. The most common reason is often a home-maker returning to work after a period looking after young children. This will show up during BS7858 2012 screening and so they will need to provide an explanation for their absence from the workforce and provide a personal referee. cysOnline staff understand this and will guide the candidate through the process getting the right result for all parties.  

There is possibly a more important issue with the new BS7858 2012 standard and that is the reliance on documentary evidence. If we imagine a UK national who has been jailed for a time in a French prison. They may have a council tax bill for their U.K property as this is issued annually, utility bills may also be available for the same year. It may even be possible that they’d be able to get someone to be a false referee too. Here cysOnline has experience and our dedicated team helps sift out these bogus candidates.

Clearly candidate vetting is not a simple process. Especially for the smaller company that has no budget for in-house vetting and HR. Outsourcing BS27858 2012 to an experienced company like cysOnline makes sense, not only from the point of view of cost and speed but also as a way of ensuring compliance with regulations such as G.D.P.R.

Contact us today and see how we can streamline your candidate vetting. https://www.cysOnline.co.uk/Contact.aspx

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