West Sussex CRB checks now take days to complete

The authority has switched to processing all its CRB checks online instead of on paper forms which means waiting times for results have been cut to a period of days.

Under the previous paper system, processing times of up to six to eight weeks were expected.

By law the council must complete CRB checks for all jobs which involve working with vulnerable people or children.

By processing forms on the internet, applicants can easily track the progress of their CRB check stage by stage.

The amount it costs the county council to process CRB checks has been reduced by almost half, and contributes £107,000 in savings a year.

Michael Brown, cabinet member for finance and resources, said: “Introducing this new way of working has saved a lot of time, a lot of money, and a lot of red tape.

“Getting rid of all the manual form filling and replacing it on-line is already paying dividends to the staff processing the checks and the job seekers waiting on the results.”