BS 7858 screening software for UK security companies

What BS 7858 screening covers

BS 7858 is the British Standard code of practice for screening people who work in a secure environment. It is the screening standard most security contracts, insurers and the SIA Approved Contractor Scheme expect. In practice it means building a verified picture of each person's background before they are deployed:

• Identity confirmed from original documents, with copies kept and a record of who inspected them
• A continuous career and history record for the screening period (normally five years), verified in writing, with no unexplained gaps of more than 31 days
• Employment, education, self-employment, unemployment, career breaks and time abroad each confirmed with suitable evidence
• A public record search through a credit reference agency — address and electoral roll, county court judgments, insolvency — plus a financial sanctions check
• A criminality check, or a current SIA licence for the right sector
• A signed declaration and the individual's consent to be screened
• An interview before any offer of employment

BS 7858 is a code of practice: your organisation stays responsible for screening decisions. Cleared to Secure is built around it so that each step is collected, verified and recorded in the right order. We recommend holding your own copy of the standard from BSI.

A BS 7858 screening checklist, built in

Each candidate gets a secure link to complete their part on their phone. Your screening team sees each section as it arrives, with guidance beside every check:

• Identity and address — photo ID, two recent proofs of address, every address for the screening period and any other names used
• Career and history — gaps calculated automatically, explanations required, evidence attached
• References and employment verification — requested and chased by email; a current employer is held back until the candidate agrees
• Public record and financial check — CCJs, bankruptcy, IVAs and directorships declared, with consent for the search
• Criminality check — Basic DBS (or Disclosure Scotland / AccessNI), with DBS Update Service status checks, or a verified SIA licence
• [SIA licence](/sia-licence-checks) — checked on the public register, with the search result kept on file
• Declaration and consent — signed electronically

Conditional employment and the 12-week deadline

BS 7858 allows someone to start on a conditional basis once limited screening is complete — the preliminary checks plus at least three years of verified history — as long as full screening is finished within the allowed period: 12 weeks for a five-year screening period, or 16 weeks for a longer one.

Cleared to Secure records the conditional start date, works out the deadline from your screening period, and shows it prominently on the candidate's record and your candidate list, so nobody slips past their deadline unnoticed.

Acceptance of risk, signed off properly

Where the public record search shows county court judgments over £10,000, bankruptcy, or a directorship of another organisation, BS 7858 expects top management (or an authorised person) to review the evidence and sign to accept the risk. Cleared to Secure only lets an admin record that acceptance, with their position and reasons, and it appears in the screening file.

A screening file you can hand to anyone

One click produces a PDF screening file for each person: every check, the evidence seen, who verified it and when, the conditional employment dates, any acceptance of risk, and a verification progress log. Sensitive detail — health answers, conviction and financial details — stays in the app rather than being printed. See how it supports audits.

Screening records are kept for the periods BS 7858 recommends: at least 12 months for people who don't get through screening, and seven years after someone leaves.

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