CRB and credit check before interview

carolineb23

Hi All,
My husband is interviewing with LSG for a software developer position. He has been sent some forms which need filling in and sending back before the interview. They are asking to do a crb check, credit check and want a fair bit of medical history too. He has nothing to hide but both of us have had our fair share of interviews and have never been asked for all this. Is this normal?
Any help would be appreciated.

stclair

LSG = Life Style Group that correct?

I would expect that to be perfectly normally for them to ask your OH if they can conduct and credit check & CRB due to the nature of the business.

carolineb23

Yes that's correct. Why though? I had a crb when I worked for a nursery which I can understand, and I can see their point of view to a certain extent here (I'm guessing it's fraud or breach of data protection act they're interested in), but what would a bad credit rating tell them? As I say, it's not a problem, I'm just being nosy as I've never come across it before.

wontfallforit

carolineb23 wrote: »

Yes that's correct. Why though? I had a crb when I worked for a nursery which I can understand, and I can see their point of view to a certain extent here (I'm guessing it's fraud or breach of data protection act they're interested in), but what would a bad credit rating tell them? As I say, it's not a problem, I'm just being nosy as I've never come across it before.

A very poor credit history could indicate that he could be susceptible to financial bribery. In the most extreme incident, a rival company would bribe him with large amounts of cash in exchange for company-confidential information. Credit checks aren't limited to the financial sector, they're also used in sectors where information could be traded to rivals.

If you've nothing to worry about, just consider it a formality, as he will be considered low-risk in regards to bribery pressure.

m_13

Many employees now require their staff to be BPSS vetted. It's a security check below the level of Security Cleared (SC) and ensures you are able to work in the UK and are who you say you are.

If the post requires SC then the process always involve a credit check.

It may be the new employer wants to ensure there are no surprises if they require vetting to take place.

You can read more about vetting on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classified_information_in_the_United_Kingdom#Baseline_Personnel_Security_Standard_.28BPSS.29

carolineb23

Thanks very much for your replies. I was just a little confused as neither of us had been asked for this previously.

DKLS

Its becoming more common, I work in medical software dev, and myself and the staff have had to be CRB checked for a particular contract, seems daft to me as we have no contact with children, patients or vulnerable adults.

fengirl_2

Its actually unlawful for an employer to request a CRB check where the employee is not working with children or vulnerable adults. I have heard that they will lie about the nature of the job to the CRB people in order to obtain a check. Eg, a bus driver who just drove a normal public bus on routes through town found out that his employer had described him as a school bus driver in order to obtain a check.

bap98189

fengirl wrote: »

Its actually unlawful for an employer to request a CRB check where the employee is not working with children or vulnerable adults.

No it's not.

Taken from the CRB website: The Criminal Records Bureau ( CRB ) provides access to criminal record and other relevant information to employers and licensing authorities in England and Wales. The results of the checks carried out by the CRB help organisations make more informed decisions when recruiting people to work with children and the vulnerable.

CRB checks are also available to certain specified professional, licensing and regulatory bodies whose employees or volunteers are not necessarily in direct contact with the vulnerable.

Through the Disclosure service, organisations can ensure greater protection for the vulnerable members of our society and afford greater protection to their customers, staff, volunteers and ultimately their organisation.

ihatebt_2

DKLS wrote: »

Its becoming more common, I work in medical software dev, and myself and the staff have had to be CRB checked for a particular contract, seems daft to me as we have no contact with children, patients or vulnerable adults.

But you've probably got access to sensitive and personal data. Not daft at all.

DKLS

ihatebt wrote: »

But you've probably got access to sensitive and personal data. Not daft at all.

Very daft, I do have access to sensitive data, for which I am covered by the Official secrets act, not that I could tally any of the data to an actual patient as the bulk of it is encrypted.