A dedicated umbrella body for Criminal Record Checks (CRBs) throughout the United Kingdom

Privacy Policy Notice

The policy: This privacy policy notice is served by First Standard Group Limited, Registered address: c/o McManus Hall Ltd, Unit C1, Marquis Court, Kingsway South, Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, NE11 0RU, under the websites: www.firststandardltd.co.uk or https://firststandard.org.uk  The purpose of this policy is to explain to you how we control, process, handle and protect your personal information through the business and while you browse or use this website. If you do not agree to the following policy you may wish to cease viewing / using this website, and or refrain from submitting your personal data to us.

Policy key definitions:

  • “I”, “our”, “us”, or “we” refer to the business, First Standard Group Limited, or First Standard
  • “you”, “the user” refer to the person(s) using this website.
  • GDPR means General Data Protection Act.
  • PECR means Privacy & Electronic Communications Regulation.
  • ICO means Information Commissioner’s Office.
  • Cookies mean small files stored on a user’s computer or device.

Key principles of GDPR:

Our privacy policy embodies the following key principles; (a) Lawfulness, fairness and transparency, (b) Purpose limitation, (c) Data minimisation, (d) Accuracy, (e) Storage limitation, (f) Integrity and confidence, (g) Accountability.

Processing of your personal data

Under the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) we control and / or process any personal information about you electronically using the following lawful bases.

  • We are registered with the ICO under the Data Protection Register, our registration number is: Z1290503
  • Lawful basis: Consent
    Where our purpose for processing is: Conducting background screening and qualification checks requested by (potential) employers, or facilitating the submission of Criminal Records checks within the United Kingdom where the application form has been completed and signed by the subject of that application
    Which is necessary because: the checks requested are a normal part of the employer’s safeguarding procedures and a condition of the offer of employment
    We process your information in the following ways:

    • Criminal Records Disclosures – applications are forwarded to the relevant jurisdiction: Disclosure & Barring Service for England and Wales; Access NI for Northern Ireland or Disclosure Scotland
    • Qualification checks – requests are sent to HEDD, accompanied by your signed consent form.  The results are returned to the employer
    • Reference requests are sent by email to the person you have nominated as a referee, the results are emailed to the employer

Data retention period: We will continue to process your information under this basis until you withdraw consent, or it is determined your consent no longer exists.  Normally this would be only for so long as is necessary for us to complete the checks.

In the case of criminal records checks we retain your data for up to nine months after your disclosure application has been submitted to the relevant authority as this includes the period in which you may challenge the information included on your Disclosure Certificate

Sharing your information:  We do share your personal information with third parties, and they include the agencies referred to above for the processing of Criminal Records checks and the employers to whom you have given your consent for us to conduct the checks on their behalf.

  • Lawful basis: Contract
    Where our purpose for processing is: fulfilling your orders /requests authorising us to conduct checks on your behalf, we hold the details about your business that you have provided, including name of contact, email and postal address, contact telephone numbers
    Which is necessary because: we need to be able to submit our invoices to you
    We process your information in the following ways: your details are uploaded into our accounting software [Xero]; invoices are generated and sent by email and reminders are sent automatically until payment has been received
    Data retention period: We will continue to process your information under this basis until you withdraw consent, or it is determined your consent no longer exists.
    Sharing your information:  We do share your personal information with third parties and they include our accountant: McManus Hall.
  • Lawful basis: Legal obligation
    Where our purpose for processing is: responding to a request from the relevant authority, which may include the police, for clarification concerning your Disclosure Application
    Which is necessary because: we act as the intermediary between the employer who asked you to submit a Disclosure Application and the processing authority has a legal obligation to check that the information provided in the application is correct
    We process your information in the following ways: we confirm with your employer and, where possible with you, that the information provided is confirmed by the ID documents you have submitted in support of your application.
    Data retention period: We will continue to process your information under this basis until you withdraw consent or it is determined your consent no longer exists.
    Sharing your information: We do share your personal information with the third parties detailed above.
  • Lawful basis: Criminal offence data
    Where our purpose for processing is: to comply with the legal obligations imposed on us by the laws governing the Safeguarding of Children or Vulnerable Adults
    Which is necessary because: we would be committing a criminal offence were we to withhold such information that has been brought to our attention as a result of  our conducting criminal records checks.
  • We process your information in the following ways: In the case of checks submitted to Access NI we do not see the details of criminal offences but are notified if such information is included on a Disclosure Certificate is issued to you.  We then have a duty to notify your employer if such information exists so that they may invite you to reveal that information and discuss with them its implication for your employment.

In the case of checks completed by the Disclosure & Barring Service the individual who is the subject of the Disclosure Application is the only person to receive a copy of the Disclosure Certificate – we do not see the Disclosure information.

In the case of Disclosure applications submitted to Disclosure Scotland, including applications for membership of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups [PVG] Scheme, we do receive a copy of the Disclosure Certificate, which we forward under confidential cover to the employer who initiated the Disclosure Application.

Data retention period: We do not retain this information and will continue to process your information under this basis until you withdraw consent, or it is determined your consent no longer exists.
Sharing your information:  We do share your personal information with third parties and they include your employer, as detailed above.

If, as determined by us, the lawful basis upon which we process your personal information changes, we will notify you about the change and any new lawful basis to be used if required. We shall stop processing your personal information if the lawful basis used is no longer relevant.

Your individual rights

Under the GDPR your rights are as follows. You can read more about your rights in details here;

  • the right to be informed;
  • the right of access;
  • the right to rectification;
  • the right to erasure;
  • the right to restrict processing;
  • the right to data portability;
  • the right to object; and
  • the right not to be subject to automated decision-making including profiling.

You also have the right to complain to the ICO [www.ico.org.uk] if you feel there is a problem with the way we are handling your data.

We handle subject access requests in accordance with the GDPR.

Internet cookies

We use cookies on this website to provide you with a better user experience. We do this by placing a small text file on your device / computer hard drive to track how you use the website, to record or log whether you have seen particular messages that we display, to keep you logged into the website where applicable, to display relevant adverts or content, referred you to a third party website.

Some cookies are required to enjoy and use the full functionality of this website.

We use a cookie control system which allows you to accept the use of cookies, and control which cookies are saved to your device / computer. Some cookies will be saved for specific time periods, where others may last indefinitely. Your web browser should provide you with the controls to manage and delete cookies from your device, please see your web browser options.

Cookies that we use are;

  • Google Analytics

Data security and protection

We ensure the security of any personal information we hold by using secure data storage technologies and precise procedures in how we store, access and manage that information. Our methods meet the GDPR compliance requirement.

Fair & Transparent Privacy Explained

We have provided some further explanations about user privacy and the way we use this website to help promote a transparent and honest user privacy methodology.

Email marketing messages & subscription

Under the GDPR we use the consent lawful basis for anyone subscribing to our newsletter or marketing mailing list. We only collect certain data about you, as detailed in the “Processing of your personal data” above. Any email marketing messages we send are done so through an EMS, email marketing service provider. An EMS is a third party service provider of software / applications that allows marketers to send out email marketing campaigns to a list of users.

Email marketing messages that we send may contain tracking beacons / tracked clickable links or similar server technologies in order to track subscriber activity within email marketing messages. Where used, such marketing messages may record a range of data such as; times, dates, I.P addresses, opens, clicks, forwards, geographic and demographic data. Such data, within its limitations will show the activity each subscriber made for that email campaign.

Any email marketing messages we send are in accordance with the GDPR and the PECR. We provide you with an easy method to withdraw your consent (unsubscribe) or manage your preferences / the information we hold about you at any time. See any marketing messages for instructions on how to unsubscribe or manage your preferences, you can also unsubscribe from all MailChimp lists, by following this link, otherwise contact the EMS provider.

Our EMS provider is; Mailchimp. We hold the following information about you within our EMS system;

  • Email address
  • I.P address
  • Subscription time & date