Disclosure Recipient guidance
Organisations using the Isle of Man Vetting Bureau must nominate an appropriate person within the recruitment process to undertake the role of Disclosure Recipient.
All Disclosure Recipients should also familiarise themselves with the applicable sections of the DBS Code of Practice (see downloadable documents) and the sample Isle of Man Vetting Bureau. Up to date copies of both documents can be obtained from the Disclosure and Barring Service (see Related Links) or the Isle of Man Vetting Bureau respectively.
As the Disclosure Recipient, you will receive the disclosure information by examining the certificate provided to the applicant by the Disclosure and Barring Service or Disclosure Scotland. This certificate remains, at all times, the property of the applicant. The Disclosure and Barring Service may separately provide information with regard to an application for a police check, this should also be considered as 'disclosure information'.
You must ensure that the following advice is followed:
- Disclosure information should be kept separate from the applicant’s personnel file and stored in lockable, non-portable containers, the access to which can be strictly controlled.
- Disclosure information must only be passed onto those individuals who are authorised to see it as part of their duties. It is a criminal offence to pass this information to anyone who is not entitled to have it.
- Disclosure information must only be used for the specific purpose that it has been requested and for which the applicant has provided their consent.
- A record should be kept of the date of the disclosure, the name of the subject, the type of disclosure, the position for which the disclosure was supplied, the unique reference number of the disclosure and the details of the recruitment decision.
- No photocopies or other images of the disclosure documents should be kept, nor any copies of any representation of the contents of the disclosure.
- Disclosure information should not be retained for any longer than is necessary. The Disclosure and Barring Service requires that the disclosure should be destroyed within 6 months. The Isle of Man Vetting Bureau recommends that disclosure information is destroyed as soon as the recruitment decision is reached. The applicant will, in any event, have been given a copy of the disclosure information by DBS.
- Disclosure information should be destroyed by secure means (shredding, pulping or burning). Disclosure information awaiting destruction should not be kept by insecure means (a waste bin or confidential waste sack).
Additional information
In very exceptional circumstances, we may receive additional information as a result of an Enhanced Disclosure check. The local police force send the additional information to the Isle of Man Vetting Bureau independently of the DBS and, in our role as countersignatory, we must forward this information to you as part of the disclosure process to help you with your recruitment decision.
We will inform you first that we have received the additional information. We will then send the addition information enclosed in a separate, sealed letter with the disclosure certificate. You must advise the Isle of Man Vetting Bureau immediately if this has been opened or tampered with.
On no account must the existence of the additional information be made known to the applicant. It is a criminal offence for this information to be made available to anyone not involved in the recruitment decision.
If a decision is made to withdraw the offer of employment / volunteering opportunity you can only make reference to matters that appear on the Enhanced Disclosure certificate, of which the applicant will have their own copy. It may be enough to explain that, having taken up other references, the decision has been made not to confirm the offer.
If the employment offer still holds, we advise that this additional information and your copy of the disclosure certificate is destroyed immediately according to the principles of the agreement in place between the Isle of Man Vetting Bureau and your organisation and the DBS Code of Practice.
If the decision is made to withdraw the offer and this is contested, then we advise that the additional information is kept securely in a safe or lockable filing cabinet until the completion of any tribunal process.
