The importance of BPSS clearance lies in its role in verifying essential aspects of individuals' backgrounds for positions involving sensitive information access. This clearance process confirms key details such as identity, work rights, trustworthiness, honesty, and integrity, ensuring that only qualified and reliable individuals are granted access to sensitive data.
There are also specific rules regarding non-discrimination that must be followed during the BPSS process. According to the Equality Act 2010, it is illegal for employers to discriminate against candidates on the basis of protected characteristics such as race, religion, sex, age, and disability. The BPSS checks must be applied uniformly to all employees who are in similar roles, ensuring that no individual is unfairly targeted or excluded from a position based solely on personal attributes that do not pertain to their ability to perform job-related tasks safely and effectively.
The scope and depth of the checks under these two standards vary significantly. BPSS checks serve as a preliminary screen to establish a baseline of trust and integrity, typically including right to work verification, criminal record checks, verification of identity, and an employment history check. BS7858:2019 checks are more comprehensive and detailed, encompassing all elements of BPSS but also including financial background checks, character references, and sometimes even deeper analysis of an individual's background and associations.
