Welcome to our guide on the BS:7858 standard, designed to help you understand the background screening process and support your candidates through it. The BS:7858 standard sets the benchmark for security vetting, ensuring a comprehensive and fair assessment of individuals for roles that require a high level of trust. This guide will walk you through the key elements of the standard, providing practical insights on how to assist your candidates in meeting the requirements smoothly and efficiently.

The BS:7858 Standard Screening consists of:

  • ID Verification
  • Address Verification
  • Right to Work Verification
  • Financial Credit Report Checked
  • Global Sanctions Checked
  • Directorship Check
  • SIA Licence Check 
  • 5 Year Activity History
  • HMRC 5 Year Statement
  • Non SIA Individuals will have a Basic or Enhanced DBS Check

ID, Address and Right to Work Checks

Candidates are required to provide a valid proof of ID and a valid proof of their current address. The acceptable documents for these checks are based on the DBS checking guidelines.

Proof of ID Documents List

Proof of Address Documents List

Candidates also need to show that they have a right to work in the UK. While this is carried out in the same way as an employer’s right to work check, it does not provide a statutory excuse and simply confirms that the company performing the vetting has seen confirmation of the candidate’s right to work in the UK.

Financial Credit Report Check, Global Sanctions Check and Directorship Check

Various checks must be run on the candidate alongside the information that they provide. For the BS:7858 Standard, this includes a financial credit report check, global sanctions check and directorship check.

The financial record check simply runs the candidates' details against publicly available records for things like CCJs, IVAs and bankruptcies. Particularly in any financial related roles, e.g. bank security guards, this will help you make an informed decision. If a CCJ over the value of £10,000 or an unsatisfied bankruptcy is found, this will be flagged as a Risk.

The global sanctions check scans global databases to ensure that someone with the same details has never been flagged in any significant way. Reasons for being flagged can include the candidate or a close family member being politically exposed or convicted of any global crimes. It’s important to note that this check is a broad search and as such tends to come with allowable deviation, which means there will be a scale of how likely the candidate is the same person. Any potential matches will be investigated further to find any details that confirm or exclude the likelihood of this.

The directorship check also runs the candidates' details against publicly available records. This simply confirms if the candidate has ever been a director of a company, and if so, will be flagged as a Risk.

SIA Licence Check and DBS Checks

Most BS:7858 Screening will include an SIA Licence check. This check confirms the candidate holds a valid SIA Licence and whether they have ever had their licence revoked.

If the screening does not include an SIA check, it will include a DBS check instead. The level of DBS carried out (Basic, Standard or Enhanced) will determine how in-depth the check is. Convictions, cautions, warnings and reprimands are required by law to remain on a person’s criminal record for a certain period of time, after which they are considered ‘spent’ and therefore removed or ‘expunged’. Some convictions are so serious that they are never expunged.

  • Spent convictions will usually not show up on a Basic DBS check. However, if it was a serious offence and they served time in prison, it will show up but will be marked as a spent conviction.

  • A Standard DBS will show details of all spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings held on central police records (apart from protected convictions and cautions).
  • An Enhanced DBS check contains the same information as a standard DBS check, plus any extra information held on local police records. It will only include this extra information if the Chief Police Officer considers it relevant. It also includes a check of the DBS’s children and adults barred lists if these are relevant to the position they have applied for.

Social Media Checks are also optional, however are not usually included in vetting's unless specifically requested. These checks analyse a candidate’s social media presence to check for any potential concerning activities and expressed views throughout their posting/engagement history. The BS7858 Standard suggests that this would be best practice to include this check within the BS7858 screening.

5 Year Activity History

Candidates need to provide the details of every significant activity that they have undertaken in the last five years. The goal is to ensure that it is beyond reasonable doubt that the candidate has spent any time performing a conflicting or undisclosed activity, such as time spent in custody or involvement in terror-related activities.

If a candidate has a continuous work history, this is usually deemed as enough information and can be covered easily. However, if they have spent time not working, other activities may need to be documented. This can include periods of education, volunteering or travelling.
Ultimately, it is essential for screeners and employers to be confident that the documentary evidence provided proves the candidate has not had extended periods of being untraceable.

As each screening and situation is unique, there is no standard list of documents a candidate can provide to guarantee their screening will pass. They will need to be reviewed on a case- by-case basis by our team of highly trained screeners, who will keep the candidates informed of what is required during the entire screening process.

31 Day Gaps Covered by documents

Any gaps of their history that is over 90 days has to be covered by supporting documentation, a list of what supporting documents can be used within employment vetting is listed below:

Documents to cover employment/education history

HMRC 5 Year Statement

Under the BPSS standard a supporting HMRC 5 year employment history statement has to be added to the screening, this is to show all national insurance contributions and benefits. Below is the how to guide of what the applicant has to complete to download the HMRC Statement.

HMRC Statement Guide

The Screening Timeframe

The timeframe allowed for screening is 84 days. This means the candidate needs to have everything provided and verified within this time in order to be granted full clearance. This can be extended by an additional 4 weeks if the employer agrees and the screening team has a reasonable belief that the candidate is likely to pass their screening.

Limited Screenings

Once all data checks are complete and we have been able to provisionally verify the last three years of activities, the candidate is able to receive a “Limited Screening”. This means that they can begin their employment with you, but they do still need to complete the rest of their screening within the allotted 84 days.

Once a candidate’s screening is fully completed, they are able to work with you continuously. At the time this guide was created, there are no requirements to regularly re-screen candidates who stay in continuous employment with you. However this could change in newer editions of BS:7858, so it is best to stay aware of the requirements.

Your Responsibilities as an Employer

Right to Work - Although right to work checks are part of a BS:7858 screening, employers still need to perform their own checks. Only direct employers can receive a ‘statutory excuse’ (proof the candidate has the right to work in the UK). Your screening provider can collect the relevant data for you to review, but you must confirm this with the candidate to ensure legal compliance. This could be viewing the original ID document if the candidate is a British Citizen, or confirming they hold a valid government issued right to work share code and noting the expiry date if this is applicable. It's your responsibility to verify a candidate’s right to work before their employment commences, ideally early in the hiring process to avoid wasting time on candidates without the right to work. You will need to record the date the check took place as well as who performed the check, and attach a photograph or photocopy of the relevant document to the candidate’s file.

Acceptance of Risks - If a candidate has ever been a director of a company, had more than £10,000 in CCJs, or is currently bankrupt, we will need to inform you via an “Acceptance of Risk”. It is then your company’s responsibility to review the risk and make a decision as to whether you’re happy to continue with screening, or whether it conflicts with your hiring criteria and you no longer wish to employ that candidate. We will provide as much information as possible to help you make that decision, but it is also sometimes necessary to discuss these with the candidate. The Acceptance of Risk needs to be signed off by ‘top management’- i.e. the most senior person in your organisation, or someone that they have authorised. This is signed off electronically via email. Risks not being approved can cause delays in completing the screening, so it’s important to have a process in place should top management be on holiday or otherwise unable to sign it off.

Approving extensions - Candidates are given 84 days to fully complete their screening. There are occasions where the screening cannot be completed within this time frame, through no fault of the candidate. In these situations we will ask for your approval for the screening period to be extended by a further 4 weeks. Please be aware that the extension can only be utilised if the screening team have a reasonable belief that the candidate is likely to be able to complete their screening,
e.g. they are waiting for a document to be delivered or a reference to be returned. This is something that can be reviewed in an audit so it is important to be used appropriately.

Audits – Even though Vetting Hub ensure that the screening is totally compliant with the BS7858 Standard, as the employing company, you still have a responsibility to spot check the completed files and do internal audits to ensure the quality and that they comply with the BS:7858 Standard. This may be reviewed during the audits carried out on your company, so it is wise to keep a record of this process.

Tips for choosing the right candidates

  • Unfortunately, not every candidate will pass their screening, regardless of how well they interview. Discovering this late in the screening process can be costly and time-wasting. This can be avoided if you use the hiring process as a way to pre-screen your candidates. There are a couple of ways to do this, we would recommend you:
  • Ask your candidates if they have ever been screened for previous employments, and if they still have any of the documentation that was requested before starting their vetting process.
  • Explain the full extent of screening to them and ask if they’re confident they will pass. This is especially important if they have long gaps between employments.
  • Have them read and sign a pre-vetting declaration, emphasising the seriousness of withholding information and the need for cooperation. You could also ask them to provide the documents needed to start their screening at the point of interview, e.g. a valid proof of address, ID, their 5 year employment history from HMRC, their right to work share code and any travel documentation if they have been overseas during the screening period.

Screenings that are cancelled after the process has begun will still incur a charge, so you may also want to write into their contract that they are liable to pay for their own screening should they be unsuccessful due to being uncooperative or withholding information.

Top Reasons Screenings can fail

  • The most common reasons a screening may be cancelled are:
  • We were unable to collect enough supporting evidence for activities within the allotted timeframe – this is referred to as “time failure”.
  • The candidate was non-responsive or unwilling to supply information or evidence.
  • Risks were raised and not approved by the employer.
  • Other information that poses a risk to the company was discovered during the course of screening, e.g. adverse employment references or the DBS has uncovered adverse information. In these instances, it is the employer’s decision as to whether the screening is cancelled or is to be continued.

One common issue is the candidate has a gap in their activity history that they cannot find any documentation to cover. As a last resort, we can accept what is known as a “Statutory Declaration”. This is a document that can be used for one 6 month gap, or several periods totalling a maximum 6 months. It must be completed in the presence of a Solicitor, Commissioner of Oaths or Justice of the Peace. There is a charge to the candidate for this document to be completed and witnessed. They often cost less than £20, but since your candidate is seeking work, it’s may be wise to offer to pay this.