How to conduct background and qualification checks for staff

To protect your business and remain compliant with UK law, you must verify every new hire's right to work in the UK, conduct appropriate criminal record checks (DBS), and contact professional bodies directly to confirm that their qualifications and memberships are valid and active. Doing this before a contract is finalised prevents legal penalties and ensures your clients are being advised by genuine experts.

1. Confirm the Right to Work in the UK

Before any staff member starts, you have a legal obligation to check they can lawfully work in the UK. Failing to do this can result in "civil penalties" (large fines) from the Home Office. You can perform this check in two ways:

• Online: Use the GOV.UK "View a job applicant's right to work details" service if the applicant has a share code.
• Manual: Check original documents (like a British passport) in the presence of the applicant and keep a clear copy (either a scan or a photo).

2. Determine the level of DBS check required

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps you see if an applicant has a criminal record. In the financial services sector, most roles require more than just a "Basic" check. There are three main levels:

Check Level	What it shows	When to use it
Basic	Unspent convictions and conditional cautions.	General administrative roles.
Standard	Spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and final warnings.	Roles entering regulated professions (like accountancy).
Enhanced	Same as Standard, plus any information held by local police considered relevant.	Roles involving high-level financial responsibility or vulnerable adults/children.

3. Verify professional qualifications and memberships

In the financial sector, a certificate on a wall isn't enough. People can lapse in their memberships or, in rare cases, provide forged documents. To verify credentials:

• Contact the awarding body: Reach out to organisations like the ACCA, CII, or CISI. Most have an online "member directory" where you can search by name or membership number.
• Check status: Ensure their membership is "Active" and they aren't currently subject to any disciplinary proceedings.
• Verify the level: Confirm the specific level of the qualification matches what they stated on their CV (e.g., Level 4 Diploma vs. Level 6).

4. Conduct thorough reference checks

Always seek at least two professional references, ideally covering the last three to five years of employment. When speaking to previous employers, ask specific questions about the candidate's integrity and technical competence, rather than just confirming their dates of employment.

Top Tip: Always make any job offer "subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks." This gives you a legal out if a DBS check comes back with unexpected results or if a qualification cannot be verified.

5. Keeping records and GDPR

While you must keep records of these checks for compliance, you are also handling highly sensitive personal data. Store these documents in a secure, encrypted folder and only keep them for as long as is necessary for your legal records. Ensure your staff privacy notice explains how this data is handled.