What Services Should You Expect From a CRB Umbrella Body?

An Umbrella Body offers a valuable service which can save you considerable time. It can help your employees complete their CRB checks, ensuring you have peace of mind the application forms are filled in correctly and don’t come back to you, adding to the never ending pile of work on your desk.

If you decide to get rid of the hassle and outsource your companies CRB checks it is essential you carry out relevant research prior to selecting an Umbrella Body. Here are 10 simple questions to ask yourself and the Umbrella Body before making your decision.

1. Is there a company representative always available to talk to? Obtaining CRB checks for your staff or for yourself can often be a little confusing if you are not familiar with the process. The Umbrella Body must be aware of this and offer help straight away over the telephone from an experienced advisor. Nobody likes talking to a machine!

2. How much help are they offering? Are they keen to save your time by ensuring your applicants have all the help they need to complete their CRB checks? Does the Umbrella Body have a plan in place where your employees can call and speak to an advisor or go online for help with their application forms?

3. Do they offer an online service – eBulk? Having a service which allows you to complete CRB checks online makes the task less time consuming and more streamlined. An automated system (eBulk) links electronically with the Criminal Justice System meaning signatures and forms in the post are no longer necessary. An electronic form will not allow you to submit an application if it has been completed incorrectly and tell you where you have made a mistake. Ebulk is the most efficient way to submit applications and the fastest way to obtain a Criminal Record Check.

4. What other services do the Umbrella Body provide? The levels of service provided by an Umbrella Body can vary widely. An Umbrella body should provide help, advice and guidance throughout the whole CRB check process to both employer and employee to ensure the application in processed in the most streamlined and efficient way. There may be additional services which they are able to offer such as ID Checking, legislation Interpretation, conviction interpretation, disclosure tracking and even recruitment and appointment consultancy.

5. Will I have my own dedicated Account Manager? All employers carrying out CRB checks on their staff, no matter how small or large the company should have an Account Manager. This is somebody you can call and ask for by name. Somebody who knows your name, position, what your company does and understands what level of CRB Check your employees need. You should only have to explain your needs once; there is nothing worse than being passed around on the telephone having to explain your situation numerous times to various people.

6. How long does it take the Umbrella Body to process CRB Checks? Ask the Umbrella Body for their average turnaround time. It can take the CRB up to 6 weeks to process a CRB Check but they should keep their own records of how long their applications are with the CRB. This will give you an idea of the speed of the service you will receive. Many of the delays are caused because applications are not sent to the CRB for processing as soon as they are received by the Umbrella Body. It may be worth asking them how long they keep hold of your application before they send it off. The answer shouldn’t be more than 24 hours.

7. Does the Umbrella Body have an aftercare plan? It’s all very well obtaining CRB checks for your staff, but what do you do with the information once you have it? Once you have received the CRB Certificates for your employees or potential employees, the service shouldn’t stop there. A good Umbrella Body should provide guidance on what information you need to take into account based on the results given to help make sure you are abiding by the law and making the correct recruitment decision for your company.

8. What do the Umbrella Body’s current customers think of them? Research the companies’ testimonials page and find out more from their current clients if you are still unsure.

9. Is the Umbrella Body successful? Successful businesses work with other successful businesses. Carry out a credit check before giving them your custom. There is nothing worse than completing numerous applications for CRB checks for your staff only to find out the company you have been using have gone bust and you now have to start the process all over again with somebody new.

10. What impression do you get from the Umbrella Body? And finally and more importantly, use your instinct. Have a look at the company’s website, twitter and Facebook accounts, give them a call. What feeling did you get from the advisors? Did they just want to make a quick sale or where they happy to take time to help and offer their advice about CRB checks? If you would like any information about obtaining CRB checks for yourself or your employees call Personnel Checks today for advice from a dedicated advisor on 01254 355688