If you are applying for work in care, education, security, driving or anything involving vulnerable people, an AccessNI check will come up. It is one of the most common reasons an otherwise smooth job offer stalls, usually because nobody explained the process.
What AccessNI is
AccessNI is the criminal records disclosure service for Northern Ireland. It provides employers with a certificate showing whether an applicant has a criminal record relevant to the level of check being requested. It is not a pass or fail test, and having a record does not automatically rule you out of work.
Basic checks
A basic check discloses unspent convictions only. Anything that has become spent under the relevant rehabilitation rules will not appear. Any individual can apply for their own basic check, and it is the level most commonly used for general employment where there is no regulated activity involved.
Standard checks
A standard check discloses both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, informed warnings and diversionary disposals, subject to the filtering rules that remove certain older and minor matters. Standard checks can only be requested by an employer for specific roles set out in legislation, for example some finance, legal and security positions.
Enhanced checks
An enhanced check covers everything in a standard check plus any additional information a chief officer of police considers relevant to the role. Where the role involves regulated activity with children or adults, the check will also include a barred list search. This is the level used across health and social care, education, and most roles working directly with vulnerable people.
How long it takes
Most applications are processed quickly, but timescales vary depending on the level of check, whether police forces outside Northern Ireland need to be contacted and how accurate the information you supply is. The most common cause of delay by a distance is an incomplete address history or a mismatch in identity documents. Have five years of addresses and your photo ID ready before you start.
If you have a criminal record
Declare it. Employers in regulated sectors assess disclosures on relevance, age of offence and pattern of behaviour, and many have a written policy for exactly this. An honest early conversation is nearly always survivable. An undeclared conviction discovered on the certificate rarely is, because it becomes an integrity issue rather than a records issue.
Northern Ireland also has a code of practice governing how registered bodies handle disclosure information, including secure storage and confidentiality. If you want to see how we handle it, our AccessNI policy pages set out our own approach.
Practical tips
Keep a copy of your certificate. Check whether the role requires a fresh check or accepts a recent one. If you are applying for several roles in the same sector, tell each employer that a check is already in progress, because it often saves weeks.
If you are unsure which level of check your role needs, ask before you apply. The team at your local branch can tell you exactly what is required for the vacancies they are handling.