Guidelines for Countersignatories on Disclosure

All Countersignatories should familiarise themselves with:

• The CRB Code of Practice
• Policy Statement on the recruitment of staff and acceptance of students who are ex-offenders
• Policy Statement on the secure storage, handling, use, retention and disposal of Disclosures and Disclosure information
• The CRB Data Protection leaflet

It is essential that all Countersignatories comply fully with these policies and codes.

Contact details of the Lead Countersignatory and Countersignatories for the University of Bristol.

Role of a Countersignatory

All Countersignatories are required to:

• Countersign applications and receive the Disclosures;
• Control the use of, access to and security of Disclosures;
• Confirm the details of the documentary evidence provided by the Disclosure applicant, to help establish their identity;
• Ensure compliance with the Code of Practice; and
• Ensure the position is covered by the Exceptions Order to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Disclosure requested at the appropriate level.

Countersignatories should note that the CRB does not endorse the re-use of a CRB Disclosures obtained for a position in one organisation and later used for another position in another organisation.  The CRB advises that if the University decides to accept a previously issued disclosure we should carry out a formal risk assessment in order to fully understand the risks involved.  If you are considering accepting a previously issued disclosure you must first obtain written consent from the University's head countersignatory or a countersignatory in your department who must forward their consent and reasons for it to the lead countersignatory. 

If countersignatories are asked to give their consent to the use of a previously issued Disclosure they must not give their consent unless they have confirmed the validity of the Disclosure and checked the existence of additional information.  This can be done by contacting the organisation that requested the original Disclosure (after gaining the written consent of the applicant concerned).  If a countersignatory gives consent they must send the lead countersignatory a copy of the consent and confirmation that they have followed this guidance note.

Role of Lead Countersignatory

In addition to their role as a Countersignatory, the Lead Countersignatory:

• Acts as the principal point of all contact with the CRB on all matters connected with Disclosure and registration;
• Validates the Countersignatory’s application documents.

In order to establish the suitability of potential Countersignatories, the Criminal Records Bureau carries out the equivalent of an Enhanced Disclosure level check on each Countersignatory.

Applying for a Disclosure

A Countersignatory can apply for a Disclosure on a student in two ways:

1. By telephone

A Countersignatory can initiate the application by telephoning the Disclosure application line 0870 90 90 844, and providing the name, address details and date of birth of the individual, who will then be sent an application form to complete and sign. The University is automatically charged for any disclosure check at this stage so it is essential that the correct level is requested.

2. Pre-printed Disclosure application forms

The University of Bristol has been granted Payment on Account status by the Criminal Records Bureau.

In acquiring the Payment on Account status Countersignatories are able to request batches of pre-printed application in multiples of 200 or 600 by telephoning the information line on 0870 90 90 811. There is no charge for the blank forms and application fees will only become due when fully completed forms are received by the CRB.

When requesting batches of blank forms, Countersignatories should note that for every four application forms requested, the CRB will only send one copy of the guide to completing the Disclosure application form ‘Applying for a Disclosure’. Additional copies of these guidance documents are available when requesting blank forms.

Use of these blank forms is recommended for Countersignatories who are dealing with Disclosures for volunteers as it should speed up their applications as no fee is charged.

Disclosure applications are currently taking around two weeks to process.

Dealing with Disclosure application forms

The CRB have produced comprehensive Guidelines for Countersignatories  which can be found on their website. They concentrate on completing Sections X and Y of the Disclosure application form.

The CRB recommends that wherever possible identity checks are conducted on a face-to-face basis.

Receiving a Disclosure

For higher-level Disclosures the CRB will send a copy of the Disclosure to the applicant and a copy to the Countersignatory.

If there is anything on the form that might cause concern, then the student should be invited in for further discussion. A policy statement on the recruitment of students who are ex-offenders is available.

The student has the right to query the accuracy of their Disclosure. The CRB has set up a Disclosure dispute line on 0870 90 90 778 which gives advice on dispute procedures.

Retrospective checks

Initially the CRB asks Registered Bodies to limit Disclosures to new students. The CRB will work with Registered Bodies to manage the number of Disclosure applications made in respect of existing students.

Note: some of the documents on this page are in PDF format. In order to view a PDF you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader