DBS and Vetting Policy

DBS and Vetting Policy

InSignLanguage Ltd · Document code ISL-LEG-F-E · Governing law: England & Wales

Version 1.0 · Effective 8 September 2026.

F-E1. Purpose and scope

This policy states what criminal-record checking we require of Interpreters, and — the part clients and Interpreters most need to know — how we respond to what a check discloses. It is published because the ASLI Standards for Interpreting Service Providers require an interpreting service provider to make that position available.

It applies to every Interpreter we allocate and supports clause 3.2 of our Terms and Conditions of Service (ISL-LEG-B01).

F-E2. What we require, and when

The level of check depends on the assignment, because eligibility is set by law and not by preference. We do not request a check at a level the role is not eligible for.

• Enhanced check, with barred-list information — where the assignment is regulated activity with children or adults, as defined by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

• Enhanced check — where the assignment is eligible under the Police Act 1997 and the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, for example many education, health and justice settings.

• Basic check — where the assignment is not eligible for a higher level.

In Scotland we accept membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme. In Northern Ireland we accept AccessNI checks at the equivalent level.

We accept a current certificate registered with the DBS Update Service, and check its status rather than asking for a new certificate.

F-E3. How we respond to a disclosure

A disclosure is not an automatic bar. We consider each case on its facts, and we record the reasoning. We take into account:

• whether the matter is relevant to interpreting work, and to the settings the Interpreter would be allocated to;

• its seriousness, and whether it forms a pattern;

• how long ago it was, and the Interpreter's age at the time;

• what has changed since;

• whether it was disclosed to us openly, and when.

Where a matter is relevant, the outcome may be that we allocate normally, that we restrict the settings we allocate to, or that we do not allocate. We tell the Interpreter the outcome and the reason, and they may respond before it is final.

A barred-list match means we cannot allocate to regulated activity with that group. That is a legal prohibition, not a judgement.

Nothing in this policy displaces an Interpreter's rights under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 or the Equality Act 2010.

F-E4. Self-disclosure

Interpreters tell us without delay if they are charged with, cautioned for or convicted of an offence, or become subject to a safeguarding investigation or a regulatory referral, while registered with us. Telling us is not itself a bar; failing to tell us is a matter of trust and may end the relationship on its own.

F-E5. What we keep, and for how long

We sight the certificate. We record the certificate number, the date of issue, the level of check and the outcome. We do not retain a copy of the certificate beyond six months from sight, after which only the minimal record above is kept.

Criminal-offence data is handled under Article 10 of the UK GDPR and the conditions in Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018, and is covered by our Appropriate Policy Document (ISL-LEG-F-H) and our Privacy Notice (ISL-LEG-E01). Access is limited to the staff who make allocation decisions.

F-E6. What we tell Clients

We confirm on request that an allocated Interpreter holds a check at the level appropriate to the assignment. We do not share the content of a disclosure with a Client, and we do not pass on certificates.

F-E7. Review

Reviewed annually, or sooner if the law or the DBS eligibility rules change.

Cross-references: ISL-LEG-B01 clause 3.2 · ISL-LEG-C01 · ISL-LEG-E01 · ISL-LEG-F-H · ISL-LEG-A06 Safeguarding Statement.

InSignLanguage Ltd · Company number 10943637 · VAT registration number GB 298 6629 31 · Registered office: 26 Domum Road, Portsmouth PO2 0QZ