If you were to visit our website it wouldn’t take you long to come across our values of Accessibility, Truth and Privacy and discover that they inform every Amiqus decision, big or small – because that’s not only the right way to do business, but also the smartest.
At Amiqus, we pride ourselves on working closely and collaboratively with our customers and partners to identify areas of improvement that align with our values. With our commitment to continuous improvement, we recently identified a few changes to the Disclosure Scotland (DS) candidate journey that will make the user experience better and more accessible for all applicants. In particular, we wanted to improve the process for transgender applicants when completing their basic DS check through Amiqus, on a path toward a more inclusive platform.
How does completing a disclosure application work with Amiqus?
When completing a disclosure application through our platform, an applicant would usually have to supply their name and gender. There is also an option to provide any previous names you may have been known by in the past. This is required for anyone who has changed their name – through marriage, civil partnership or for any other reason. This piece of information helps to provide more accurate criminal record check results, when the check is performed.
Here are the new changes:
- Not disclosing your previous known name(s): Transgender applicants now do not have to disclose their previous names related to their previous gender. They do not have to tell the organisation asking them for a Disclosure check what their previous gender was. They only have to tell Disclosure Scotland.
In collaboration with Disclosure Scotland, the system will now allow transgender candidates to provide Disclosure Scotland with their previous name in a discreet and private manner. This will enable Disclosure Scotland to complete the required legal checks without having to inform the new employer.
- Support: In addition to this we have added dedicated support articles for transgender applicants, should they need more guidance on how to complete the Disclosure check on the Amiqus platform. These can be accessed through the platform itself when completing the DS check.
- Application tracking: In order to make the process better, we have also introduced the option for all applicants to track their application as it progresses with Disclosure Scotland. The applicant will receive an email with their application reference number and a link to follow the process via Disclosure Scotland’s Application Tracker. This should reduce the number of emails from candidates querying the status of their application that your team would currently respond to.
For transgender data subjects, the availability of the application reference number will allow them to fulfil the Disclosure Scotland process without having to ask the organisation for it. If you are transgender, you do not have to tell the organisation asking you for a Disclosure check what your previous gender was. You only have to tell Disclosure Scotland which is now possible with the reference number. You also don’t have to provide the organisation itself with your Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).
We hope that the above improvements will come as welcome news and as another positive step in the direction of an inclusive platform for all. If you have questions about any of the upcoming improvements please get in touch with our support team at [email protected].
