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Good Practice

Criminal Convictions

Good Practice - applicants who have indicated that they have relevant criminal convictions or who have applied for courses which require enhanced disclosure

November 2011

This Good Practice Statement is intended to offer help to universities and colleges in two related areas. One is in considering applications for any course at the institution from applicants who may have a criminal conviction. Another is in considering applicants for those courses (often professional ones) where enhanced disclosure is required.

This is an update of SPA's original Good Practice guidance issued in December 2008. Since then there have been many developments; in England, Northern Ireland and Wales new legislation is likely to change the role of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), Disclosure Scotland (DS) has introduced its own amended procedures, the 'criminal convictions' question in UCAS Apply has altered. It seems certain that developments in all of these areas will continue and our Guidance will be amended to keep pace.

We are grateful to many colleagues for their advice and help in producing our revision and would be very grateful for your comments and suggestions for improvements. Comments on changes in your procedures following the changes in CRB and DS requirements would be particularly welcome, but if you have any thoughts on any issues that should be included or omitted, or know of examples of good practice, please do let us know. If you have any comments please get in touch with us at Leslie Currie or telephone 01242 544757.

We will also develop a checklist to act as a brief guide to the Statement and to help HE providers to compare their own practice. We shall let colleagues know when this is completed.

Staff involved in CRB issues may be interested in the jiscmail list CRB-HE Jiscmail list; this list, run by Rob Dawson at Chester, is an invaluable resource for anyone trying to follow the many changes in CRB policy and practice.

Criminal Convictions: Statement for Good Practice

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Reviewed and updated: November 2011