A reform of the CRB vetting and barring 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.