What types of business should be carrying out BPSS Checks?
BPSS stands for Baseline Personnel Security Standard and is a benchmark used by government and the public sector to vet people. BPSS Checks aren’t actually a specific type of background check but rather a selection of checks.
BPSS includes the following checks:
Identity Checks
3 Year Occupation History Checks
Right to work Checks
Unspent Conviction Check (Basic DBS Check)
BPSS Checks are mandatory for any person working in a government department, the military, or any contractors that will have access to government or public assets.
Whilst they are mandatory for most of the public sector, many private organisations have started using the BPSS.
Here we’ll take a look at the sort of industries and roles where BPSS is becoming more common.
People Managing Money
In the financial sector, proper vetting is a mandatory part of compliance. A whole range of background checks are needed to make sure people are trustworthy.
In other sectors, people managing money aren’t always put through the same vetting process. But with purse strings tightening, people are becoming more conscious of who they put in charge of their money.
This is why many organisations are adopting BPSS checks as part of their recruitment for roles where people are managing large amounts of money.
Recruitment
Recruitment businesses depend entirely on the quality of the candidates they are providing for clients. Having trustworthy candidates to refer is essential for long-term success. BPSS Checks can help establish a higher degree of trust, which is why we’re seeing many recruitment agencies adopt BPSS as standard practice.
Charities and Voluntary Organisations
Organisations in the voluntary sector have been increasingly targeted by frauds in recent years. Considering how tight finances can be in this sector, protecting the organisation is paramount. BPSS Checks provide hiring managers in the voluntary sector the peace of mind they need to recruit safely.
Private Healthcare and Dentists
DBS Checks are already mandatory in the healthcare sector. Anyone working alongside patients or directly delivering care needs to have their criminal record checked.
Combining DBS Checks with the additional background searches of the BPSS standard can give healthcare and dental practices the extra confidence they need when recruiting. Private practices have started adopting the BPSS as part of their recruitment for this reason.
Any business
Ultimately, when recruiting, businesses must conduct identity and right-to-work checks. This is a minimum legal requirement. Implementing a comprehensive occupational history check and a criminal record check is only a little bit of extra checking on top of this. But bolstering your recruitment with these extra checks can help ensure your business is recruiting safely. This is why the BPSS standard is becoming far more popular with private businesses.
For more information about the background checks offered by Personnel Checks and how we can help secure your recruitment, contact us here.