Frequently asked questions

No. You can register, build a profile, search and apply for jobs without telling us anything about a criminal record.

There is an optional guidance feature if you want help understanding what might be disclosable for a kind of role, and what you record there is yours — it is not shared with any employer unless you choose to release it for a specific job that legally requires it.

Yes. Most jobs in the UK do not require any criminal-record check, and most convictions become spent after a set period, after which you do not have to disclose them for most work. Our guidance pages explain what applies where you live.

A conviction becomes spent after a rehabilitation period set by law. Once spent, you usually do not have to mention it, and an employer cannot refuse you because of it — except for certain excepted roles. The period depends on the sentence, not the offence, and differs across the UK. See the guidance.

Our guidance tool will give you an indication if you tell it the sentence, the date and which part of the UK it was dealt with in. It is an indication, not legal advice, and it says so. For anything that matters, speak to a disclosure adviser.

No, and the differences matter. England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland each have their own rehabilitation periods, and Northern Ireland's are considerably longer. Always check against the part of the UK where the matter was dealt with, not where you live now.

For most jobs, no. Certain roles are excepted — typically work with children or adults who need care, and some regulated professions — and for those you may have to disclose even spent convictions. Our guidance explains which roles are excepted.

They are levels of criminal-record check, and a role is only eligible for the level the law allows. A basic check shows unspent convictions only. Standard and enhanced checks show more, and only excepted roles can ask for them. Scotland and Northern Ireland use their own systems.

Not lawfully, and not on this platform. When an employer sets up a vacancy we check the role against the rules for that part of the UK and refuse a request above what the role allows. The attempt is recorded.

Some older, minor matters do not appear on a standard or enhanced certificate at all. An employer must not ask about them and must not take them into account. Whether something is filtered depends on the specific offence, how old it is and what the sentence was.

A caution is not a conviction, and the rules are different again. Many become spent immediately or very quickly, and youth cautions in England and Wales are no longer automatically disclosed on standard or enhanced certificates. Check the guidance for your jurisdiction.

A charge is not a conviction. An arrest that led to nothing, an allegation, and an acquittal are not convictions either, and for most jobs you do not have to mention any of them.

No. We are not DBS, Disclosure Scotland or AccessNI and we never claim to be. We give guidance, and we stop employers asking for checks a role is not entitled to. Any actual check is run by the employer through the proper body.

No. There is no way to search candidates by conviction, offence type or anything related to a record. The search does not have that field and never will.

An employer can decide a record is relevant to a particular role, but on this platform they cannot record that rejection without writing down their individual assessment — what the offence was, how relevant it is to the role, how long ago, and what they took into account. We will not accept the rejection without it.

Tell us. We take complaints seriously, we keep a record of every rejection where a record was a factor, and we can remove an employer from the platform.

That is your decision and there is no single right answer. Where a role requires disclosure, saying something brief and factual, and focusing on what you have done since, tends to go better than saying nothing and being asked later. A support organisation or mentor can help you work out what to say.

Usually yes, subject to any conditions on your licence or order. Check with your probation officer or supervising officer before accepting a role, particularly around hours, location and travel.

No. You can search and read every vacancy without signing up. You need an account to apply, save jobs, build a CV or ask for support.

An email address and a password. That is it. You do not need an address, a phone number, a CV or any documents to get started.

You need one to sign in, but any free email account works and a support organisation can help you set one up. Our support directory lists organisations that help with exactly this.

About ten minutes for the basics. The longer questionnaire can be done in pieces over days or weeks — everything saves as you go and you can stop and come back whenever you like.

Yes. Every page works on a phone, including uploading photographs of documents and building a CV.

No. Every question can be skipped. Some answers help us show you better matches or spot something we can help with, but nothing is compulsory and skipping a question never hides you from employers.

No. Answers about banking, accommodation, support needs and barriers are never visible to employers. They are only used to work out what support might help you and, with your permission, to make a referral.

Yes. Your profile is private by default. You choose whether employers can find you, and you can switch that off again at any time. Applying for a job shares your information with that employer only.

You control that. You can be visible to verified employers, visible only when you apply, or hidden entirely. Hiding yourself never affects applications you have already made.

No. Employers see your town and the first part of your postcode, never your full address.

Encrypted, in its own place, separate from the rest of your profile. Every time anyone opens it, that access is logged separately. Most of our own staff cannot see it.

Yes, from your privacy page. We remove or anonymise your personal information. Employers keep a record of decisions they made, without you remaining identifiable in it — they are required to.

Yes. Ask from your privacy page and we will produce it. You have a legal right to it and we aim to answer well inside the statutory month.

No. We do not sell personal data, we do not share it with advertisers, and we do not run advertising trackers.

Only what the site needs to work, plus anything you explicitly opt into. See the cookies page.

Not from us. If you are currently employed, set your profile to hidden or to "visible only when I apply" and no employer can find you by searching.

Yes. You can block an employer, and you can report one.

It is deleted according to a published retention schedule rather than kept indefinitely. You can delete it sooner yourself at any time.

Yes. You never need to give bank details to search or apply for jobs. If you tell us you do not have an account that can receive wages, we will offer information about basic bank accounts and can refer you to a financial-inclusion organisation.

Not having a bank account does not stop you applying for anything here.

Yes. You need somewhere you can reliably receive post, which can be a correspondence address rather than where you live. We never show your address publicly, and we never treat housing difficulty as a sign of anything about you.

Only for jobs that genuinely need one. You can filter those out entirely. Where a job does require a licence, the employer has to say which category, so you can see at a glance whether yours fits.

Apply anyway if the employer accepts equivalent experience — many do, and the vacancy says so. We never block an application because a certificate is missing.

We will also show you how to get the qualification, what it costs, and whether funding genuinely exists.

Yes. Registering, the readiness assessment, your action plan, your CV, searching, applying and messaging employers are all free and always will be. Employers pay a subscription. We never charge you for your own data.

The site works on any device, including a library or job-centre computer. You can ask us to call rather than email, and we can post things to you. Tell us on your profile and we will adjust how we contact you.

We check the organisation's email domain, its details against public registers where it has them, its website and its contact, and a person reviews it. Unverified employers cannot publish vacancies or search candidates. If something looks wrong, report it and we will investigate.

Open the vacancy and use the apply button. You will send your profile, your CV if you have one here, and answers to any questions the employer has added. You can see exactly what is being sent before you send it.

Your name, your professional profile, your CV if you attached one, your answers to their questions, and how you match their requirements. They do not see anything about a criminal record, your banking or housing answers, your readiness assessment, or your full address.

It counts your profile against the requirements the employer wrote for that specific job. It is not a score for you as a person — there is no such score anywhere on this site. A requirement you have not met may still be one the employer will train you in.

Often, yes. Employers here mark which requirements are essential, which are desirable and which they will train you in. If the gaps are trainable or they accept equivalent experience, applying is worth your time.

Yes. Every application shows where it is in the employer's process, and you are told when it moves. You can withdraw at any point.

It varies by employer. You can see the stage your application is at, so you are not left guessing, and you are free to apply elsewhere while you wait.

No. One application per vacancy. If your circumstances change significantly, message the employer rather than reapplying.

Yes, at any time and without giving a reason.

Not to apply, but it helps. There is a CV builder here that produces a clean PDF from what you have already told us, including a version that handles gaps in work history sensibly.

Briefly and without apology. The CV builder gives you a way to account for a period without going into detail you do not owe anyone. A mentor or adviser can help you find the right words.

An agency can put you forward to one of their clients, but nothing reaches that client until you agree. You see exactly which details would be shared, and you can decline or withdraw at any point.

No. Until you agree, the agency's own consultant sees only a reference and a status — not your name. That is enforced in the system, not left to the agency.

Eighteen separate practical things — identification, a bank account, an address for post, travel, clothing, interview preparation and so on. Each is assessed on its own and shown only to you.

No, deliberately. There is no single number, no rating and no ranking. A platform that scored people would be sorting them, and sorting is what we are trying to stop.

No. Employers never see the readiness assessment, your banking answers, your housing answers or anything about barriers. There is no code path that would let them.

Because not having one stops people being paid, and because there are organisations that will help you open a basic account. We ask so we can point you at them. We never ask for an account number, a password, a PIN or a balance.

For the same reason — an address for post is often what stands between someone and a job offer, and support exists. It is never shared with an employer.

A short list of the things that would make the most difference next, drawn from your answers. You can add your own items, mark things done, and ignore any of it.

Change it whenever you like. Nothing is locked, and the assessment updates when you do.

Only what you need for the roles you are applying for — typically proof of identity and the right to work, plus any licences or certificates. Nothing is compulsory.

They are stored privately, never at a public web address, and are served only through a short-lived, signed link to someone you have released them to. Every access is logged.

Only ones you have explicitly released to them, and only for as long as you allow. You can withdraw access at any moment and they lose it immediately.

This is one of the most common barriers and there is help for it. Our support directory lists organisations that work through which ID you can realistically get and help with the forms and the fee.

We record what you have uploaded and whether anyone has reviewed it. We never describe a document as verified unless a real check has actually taken place.

PDFs, photographs and Word documents, up to 10MB each. A photograph taken on a phone is usually fine — if it is too large, a screenshot of it is smaller.

Practical things: photo ID, a basic bank account, an address for post, travel costs, work clothing, CV help, interview practice, mentoring, and advice on talking about a record. Browse the support directory.

You choose the organisation, you see exactly what they would be told before anything is sent, you agree, and then it goes. You can withdraw at any point and they lose access immediately.

Never automatically. Nothing about a criminal record is ever included in a referral.

Most listed services are free. Where a service has a cost we say so. We never invent funding or eligibility that does not exist.

Someone from a support organisation who works with you over time rather than once. You can see what you agreed at each session on your support page.

There is a training directory with courses from verified providers, including free ones. CSCS, SIA, forklift, food safety, first aid and digital skills are common starting points.

We are a jobs site and cannot help with a crisis. If you are in danger call 999. For urgent support, Samaritans are on 116 123, free, at any hour.

Use the forgotten password link on the sign-in page. If you no longer have access to that email address, contact us and we will help.

A second step at sign-in using a code from an app on your phone. It is optional for candidates and required for our own staff.

Change it immediately from your account settings, and turn on two-factor sign-in. Tell us if you think your account has been used.

Please do not. One account per person — duplicate accounts confuse applications and make it harder for us to help you.

Change what you receive on your privacy page. You can turn off everything except messages about your own applications and account, which we have to send.

It depends on the role. Most roles are only eligible for a basic check; standard and enhanced checks, and barred-list checks, are limited to specific excepted roles.

When you create a vacancy we ask about the duties and then tell you which level the role appears eligible for. The platform will not let you request a higher level than that. We are not a government checking service — the check itself is carried out by DBS, Disclosure Scotland or AccessNI.

No, and the data is not stored in a way that would make it possible. You will also never see spent or filtered information.

You decide who to hire. What you cannot do is reject someone automatically because of a conviction where the law protects it, ask about matters that are spent or filtered, or request a check the role is not eligible for. Where a record is lawfully relevant, carry out an individual assessment — the platform prompts you through it and keeps the record.

You classify each requirement as essential, desirable, trainable, optional, legally required or a preference, and say whether equivalent experience is acceptable. We then show you, requirement by requirement, what each candidate meets, what needs confirming, and what training would close a gap.

We never produce an overall score about a person, and no sensitive characteristic affects any ranking.

Employers pay a monthly or annual subscription based on how many vacancies and recruiters you need. See our pricing page, or ask us for a quote if none of the plans fit.

Monthly or annual, by plan, with VAT shown separately. Invoices are in your account.

We tell you and your vacancies stay live while you sort it out. We do not pull a live job because a card expired.

Yes, at any time, from the billing page.

No. Payments are handled by a payment provider and card details never reach our systems.

Any UK employer willing to consider applicants with criminal records on their merits. We verify every organisation before its vacancies go live.

Yes. The free allowance covers a live vacancy with no subscription.

Be specific about what the job actually needs, and mark which requirements you will train. "Training provided" is the single most useful thing you can say to this audience, and it visibly widens your field.

Each requirement is marked essential, desirable, trainable, optional, legally required or a preference. Candidates see the distinction, which means fewer people rule themselves out of a job you would have trained them for.

A disclosure officer can review it. We would rather argue about it before the vacancy is live than have you ask for something unlawful.

Yes. Duplicate the vacancy and change the location — the requirements and questions come with it.

Yes, if you authorise them. Agency-posted vacancies are attributed, so candidates can see who is recruiting.

Because most roles are not entitled to it. Where a role genuinely is, the candidate releases specific records to a named reviewer at your organisation, for that role, and can withdraw it.

A named person at your organisation that you nominate. Only they can open a released record, and every opening is logged.

Your individual assessment — what the offence was, how relevant it is to this role, how long ago it was, and what you took into account. The platform will not accept the rejection without it.

Recording a reasoned, individual assessment is good practice and is what regulators and tribunals look for. We enforce it because a platform that let people skip it would not be doing what it says it does.

Yes, through the platform, where it is logged and the candidate can block or report. Candidates who have not opted into being contacted cannot be messaged out of the blue.

Depending on your plan, yes — among people who have chosen to be findable. You cannot search by anything protected, and there is no field for it.

Invite them by email from the Team screen. The invitation only works for that address, so forwarding it does not let anyone else in.

An owner controls everything including billing. A recruiter works vacancies and applications. A disclosure reviewer is the named person who may see a released record. A viewer can look but not act.

Remove them from the Team screen and their access ends immediately. What they did stays on the record.

One who considers applicants with criminal records on their merits rather than screening them out, and who publishes what they commit to. Those commitments appear on your public page.

Your name, location, industry, the commitments you have made, your own statement, and your live vacancies. It also says plainly that being listed is not an endorsement by us.

Featured placement on the employer directory is arranged with us and runs for a set period. Talk to us.

Employing people with convictions is normal and lawful, and most convictions are spent and need never be disclosed. Where a role is sensitive, the eligibility rules and the disclosure process exist precisely to manage that.

Policies differ and we cannot advise on yours. Many employers find it makes no difference for ordinary roles. Ask your insurer rather than assuming.

Only what the candidate has agreed to share with you, for the specific support they asked for. They see exactly what would be shared before they agree, and they can withdraw permission for future referrals. Criminal-record information is never sent automatically.

Only when a candidate has chosen you and agreed to exactly what is shared. You see what they agreed to and nothing else.

Never automatically. Nothing about a record is included in a referral. If it is relevant to the help you are giving, the person can tell you themselves.

Their details stop being visible to you immediately.

You set your own expected response time and it is shown to candidates before they choose you. Please keep to it — people are making decisions based on it.

Register, add your services, and submit evidence of who you are and what you deliver. A person reviews it. Until that is complete you appear as unverified, and we never describe a provider or a qualification as accredited unless we have checked it.

Organisations that help people into work — charities, CICs, local authority services and similar. We verify you before anything is published.

No. Support and training providers are listed free.

Yes. The person being mentored sees what was agreed at each session. Your own private notes stay yours.

From the training provider panel, once verified. Say clearly what it costs, who is eligible and how long it takes — we will not publish invented funding or eligibility.

A UK recruitment platform for people with criminal records and the employers who will consider them properly, with the practical support that gets people to the point of being able to take a job.

Anyone with a conviction or caution looking for work, employers willing to look at the person, recruitment agencies placing them, and the organisations that support them.

Because a criminal record follows people long after a sentence ends, and because most of what stops someone working is practical — no ID, no bank account, no address for post — rather than a lack of willingness.

No. We are an independent platform and we are not DBS, Disclosure Scotland, AccessNI, the Probation Service or a checking body of any kind.

No, and nobody honest would. We make it more likely that you are judged on what you can do.

It is built to WCAG 2.2 AA — keyboard operable, visible focus, no meaning carried by colour alone, and it reflows on a small screen. See our accessibility statement for what has and has not been independently verified.

Every page is written in plain English and works with a screen reader. If something is hard to use, tell us — we would rather fix it than have you struggle.

Use the contact form. We aim to reply within two working days and you can read our replies when you sign in.

Tell us through the contact form and say it is a complaint. We have a published complaints process and we will tell you what we did.

Please tell us. Our disclosure rules carry their legal source on every entry and we would far rather correct one than leave it wrong.

Every employer is verified before their vacancies go live, and we moderate what is posted. If a job asks you for money, for your bank details or for payment for training up front, do not engage with it and report it to us.

That is not a legitimate employer. Report it to us immediately and do not send anything. No real employer on this platform will ever ask you to pay for a job.