An Umbrella Body has registered with the Bureau to counter sign application forms on behalf of others who are not registered.

We are entitled to ask exempted questions under the Exceptions Order to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 Exceptions Order 1975 or will countersign applications on behalf of people or organisations who themselves are entitled to ask exempted questions.

Our role is to:

• Check and validate the information provided by the applicant on the application form
• Establish the true identity of the applicant, through the examination of a range of documents using guidance provided by the CRB
• Ensure the application form is fully completed and the information it contains is accurate
• Countersign applications to confirm that the organisation has an entitlement to access criminal record information
• To comply with the CRB’s Code of Practice

Registered Bodies that provide access to the CRB service to other organisations are called Umbrella Bodies.  For example, a large organisation that has registered with the CRB to check out its own staff and/or volunteers may decide to offer access to CRB checks to smaller organisations. Umbrella Bodies have the same responsibilities as Registered Bodies and must take reasonable steps to ensure that any organisation they are countersigning on behalf of also complies with the relevant responsibilities and obligations.

Umbrella Bodies play an important role in the success of the CRB as they provide the mechanism by which many smaller organisations will access CRB checks.