What Shows Up on an AccessNI Check in Northern Ireland?

Who this guide is for

People who are asked for a criminal record check for a job, volunteering or another purpose in Northern Ireland. These checks are done by AccessNI. This guide explains the basic, standard and enhanced checks, what each one shows, filtering, and how to dispute or appeal a certificate.

What this guide does not cover

• Jobs in England, Wales or Scotland: see the England and Wales guide or the Scotland guide.
• Whether a conviction is spent, and what you have to tell an employer yourself: see the spent convictions guide for Northern Ireland or see our spent convictions guide.
• Whether a particular job is eligible for a standard or enhanced check: ask the employer or AccessNI.
• Barring decisions and appeals against being barred: ask a solicitor.
• What to do if you were turned down or dismissed because of what a check showed: ask Advice NI, the Labour Relations Agency or a solicitor.

At a glance

• AccessNI does three levels of check: basic, standard and enhanced.
• A basic check shows unspent convictions only.
• A standard check shows spent and unspent convictions, for a job that is exempt from the rehabilitation of offenders law. Old and minor ones are filtered.
• An enhanced check shows the same as a standard check, plus relevant police information that is not about convictions and, where the role is eligible, a check of the barred lists.
• To dispute a certificate, or appeal to the Independent Reviewer, you have 90 days from the date AccessNI issued it.

What the rules depend on

1. Where is the job? Northern Ireland: this guide. England, Wales or Scotland: see that guide.
2. Which level of check is it? Basic, standard or enhanced. If you do not know, ask the employer.
3. Is the conviction spent? A basic check shows only unspent convictions. Use the spent convictions guide for Northern Ireland to work this out.
4. For a standard or enhanced check: was it a conviction, a caution, a diversionary youth conference or an informed warning, how old were you, how long ago was it, and is it a specified offence?
5. Is something on the certificate wrong, or not relevant to the job? See "Disputes" and "Appeal to the Independent Reviewer".

What each check shows

Basic check

Shows unspent criminal record information. It does not include spent convictions. You can apply online yourself, or through a responsible body.

Standard check

Shows both spent and unspent criminal record information, apart from anything filtered (see below). The job applied for must be exempt from the rehabilitation of offenders law (listed in the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1979). You apply through a registered body.

Enhanced check

Shows the same as a standard check, plus relevant police information that is not about convictions and, where the role is eligible, a check of the lists of people barred from working with vulnerable groups. The job applied for must be one prescribed in the AccessNI regulations. You apply through a registered body.

Filtering: what a standard or enhanced check leaves out

AccessNI filters some old and minor convictions and cautions from standard and enhanced checks:

• a conviction for a non-specified offence: filtered after 11 years (5 years 6 months if you were under 18 when convicted);
• a caution for a non-specified offence: filtered after 6 years (2 years if you were under 18);
• a diversionary youth conference: filtered after 2 years;
• an informed warning for a non-specified offence: filtered after 1 year.

AccessNI will not filter an offence that is on its specified list. Filtering has other rules too: for your own record, ask AccessNI.

Disputes

• You can raise a dispute with AccessNI if personal information on your basic certificate is wrong, if criminal record information on the certificate is inaccurate or does not belong to you, or if police information on an enhanced certificate is incorrect.
• You must raise it within 90 days of AccessNI issuing the certificate. Log in to your nidirect account, choose "dispute" and give the information asked for. Someone else can raise it for you by emailing AccessNI with your name and AccessNI reference number.
• If the mistake was AccessNI's, it issues an accurate certificate free.
• For police information, AccessNI asks the police to review their decision. If they agree it should not be there, or you agree new wording with them, AccessNI reissues the certificate free.
• If you do not agree with the police decision, AccessNI sends your dispute to the Independent Monitor. You must raise the dispute with AccessNI first. The Independent Monitor decides whether the police information stays, is amended or is removed. That decision is final: you cannot appeal it, but you can ask a solicitor about a judicial review.

Appeal to the Independent Reviewer

• If you think criminal record information on a standard or enhanced certificate should not be there, or is not relevant to the job, you can appeal to the Independent Reviewer.
• You must appeal within 90 days of AccessNI issuing the certificate. Log in to your nidirect account and choose "appeal". AccessNI refers it to the Independent Reviewer.
• The Independent Reviewer can only consider information on the certificate that is spent. They may decide to keep all of it on the certificate, to disclose some but not all of it, or to disclose none of it. If some or all of it is removed, AccessNI gives you a new certificate free.
• Where all the criminal record information to be disclosed relates to a time when you were under 18, the review happens automatically.
• The Independent Reviewer's decision is final: you cannot appeal it, but you can ask a solicitor about a judicial review.

The barred lists

• DBS keeps the children's barred list and the adults' barred list, and they cover Northern Ireland. A barred person is not allowed to engage in regulated activity with the group they are barred from.
• A barred person breaks the law if they seek, offer or engage in regulated activity with that group. An employer breaks the law if it knowingly employs a barred person in regulated activity with that group.

Deadlines

• Dispute a certificate: within 90 days of AccessNI issuing it.
• Appeal to the Independent Reviewer: within 90 days of AccessNI issuing the certificate.

Money figures

• Basic check £16. Standard check £16. Enhanced check £32. Some volunteers get standard and enhanced checks free: see the conditions on nidirect ("Costs and turnaround times").

Traps

• For a job in Northern Ireland, the check comes from AccessNI, not DBS.
• A basic check shows only unspent convictions. A standard or enhanced check can show spent ones.
• Disputes and appeals both have 90 days from the date AccessNI issued the certificate.
• The Independent Reviewer only looks at spent information. The Independent Monitor deals with police information on enhanced certificates.
• An offence on AccessNI's specified list is never filtered.