Criminal record checks for employment

A basic criminal record check is a screening process performed by an individual or employer to highlight any unspent convictions or conditional cautions given to individuals over 16 years of age.

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While it varies from country to country, many roles require employers to conduct a criminal background check on applicants due to regulations such as SMCR and CQC. Positions within healthcare, education, government and the public sector typically require criminal record checks to ensure the safety of children, patients and sensitive information.

When you toggle on Zinc’s global criminal check product, you can verify criminal history across multiple countries without having to define your candidate’s address history upfront. Zinc will collect the applicant’s address history and direct them to the relevant location’s criminal check process. The platform will verify address history through API connections with global credit agencies, so you don’t have to check the applicant’s address and choose the relevant countries yourself.

Zinc has global government integrations and local partners where API connections are not possible. It uses government identifiers such as ID numbers to accurately match candidates across databases.

Employers and educational institutions can check a candidate’s criminal record through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The level of DBS check (Basic, Standard, or Enhanced) that employers can run depends on the candidate's role and responsibilities.