From healthcare organisations to banks, more employers across an increasing number of industries are demanding background checks on potential employees.
The result is a heavier burden on recruiters, said Tom Hadley, director of external relations for the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.
Describing Criminal Records Bureau checks as the “flavour of the month”, Hadley said that too little emphasis is being placed on “safe recruitment” practices such as interviewing and reference checking in determining if candidates are suitable for sensitive roles.
REC representatives are to continue discussions with the CRB  in June about several as-yet unresolved issues. Hadley said the REC is concerned about the practical implications of the bureau’s intent to limit the number of so-called Registered Bodies that can process CRB checks.
Currently, all agencies that have received Registered Body status can process the checks. But under the CRB review, only those agencies processing 100 or more checks a year will then be able to do so. Hadley said forcing agencies with smaller numbers of requests to submit their checks to competitors who process more annually, could pose potential conflict-of-interest issues.
The trade body is also keen to weigh in on a long-term approach to assessing candidates’ suitability for jobs in risk-sensitive environments. Hadley suggests that the creation of a national panel to take decisions on specific cases may be in order.
The CRB last week released a six-point, five-year strategy and business plan that is intended to improve the quality and delivery of its services. The plan’s unveiling comes just months after supply teachers with questionable events in their past were found to be working in schools.
However, some improvements to the much-maligned system already seem to have taken hold in recent months.
The CRB’s adoption of service-level agreements with police forces may have begun to cut the backlogs of checks, Hadley said.