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Define the requirement once
Create a reusable staff-document template for each recurring requirement, such as a driving licence, business-use vehicle insurance, right-to-work check, qualification or professional document. The template keeps the name, evidence rule, default dates and reminder settings consistent.
Keep categories broad enough to stay usable. For example, a Driving and vehicle category can contain licence, insurance, MOT and dated vehicle-tax checks without creating a separate fleet system.
- What the employee must supply or confirm
- Whether an attachment is required
- How expiry or next review is calculated
- Who reviews the submission
- When employee and manager reminders are sent
Assign it to the right people
Apply the template to named staff or to the relevant role, site, team or department. Where the rule should continue to apply as people join or move, keep the saved assignment scope and synchronise it deliberately.
A requirement is not complete simply because it was assigned. The live register should distinguish missing, awaiting staff, awaiting review, current, due soon, expired and archived records.
- Use multi-select scopes where the same rule covers several groups
- Preview who will be included before creating records
- Avoid duplicate requirements for people who match more than one group
- Keep the applied rule visible for later review
Put the next action with the employee
Before expiry, send the employee a clear reminder that names the document, due date and required action. The link should open the exact personal task, where they can provide a replacement, update the relevant reference or dates and add a note if needed.
Automated reminders reduce manual follow-up, but they do not remove management oversight. Overdue items should stay visible to the employee and the responsible manager until the record is resolved or an authorised exception is recorded.
- One action in the employee's personal Action Centre
- A direct upload or update route from the reminder
- Escalation when the due date passes
- No employee self-approval unless the permission model explicitly allows it
DBS re-checks and right to work follow-up checks
A DBS certificate has no official expiry date. It shows the information held when it was issued, so each organisation decides when to re-check based on the role and its own policy. Where the person subscribes to the DBS Update Service, an employer can check a standard or enhanced certificate with their consent.
Right to work is different. When someone has time-limited permission to work in the UK, the Home Office employer's guide expects a follow-up check before that permission ends. Record the date of each check and when the next one is due, so the reminder goes out in time.
SkillProof records these dates, the evidence and each review decision, and reminds the right people. It does not carry out DBS or right to work checks itself.
- DBS: certificate number, level, issue date and your re-check date
- DBS: whether the person uses the Update Service, and the date of each status check
- Right to work: type of check, date completed and who completed it
- Right to work: permission end date and the follow-up check due before it
Review the replacement and retain the history
The reviewer checks the supplied document, reference and dates, then accepts or rejects it with a reason. Acceptance closes the current action and creates the next renewal point; rejection returns a clear correction to the employee.
Retain the previous version and the decision history according to your organisation's retention rules. For vehicle tax, record a dated status check rather than implying there is always a certificate to upload.
Official guidance used for this guide
Checked
DBS and right to work rules come from GOV.UK. SkillProof records dates, evidence and review decisions; it does not carry out DBS or right to work checks.
Questions this guide answers
Which staff documents should have expiry dates?
Only use an expiry date where the source document or requirement genuinely expires. Otherwise record a next-review or dated-check value so the label does not overstate what the document proves.
Do DBS checks expire?
No. A DBS certificate has no official expiry date, but it only reflects information held on the date it was issued. Set a re-check period for each role in your own policy and record when each check was made.
When is a follow-up right to work check needed?
When a person has time-limited permission to work in the UK, the Home Office employer's guide expects a follow-up check before that permission expires. Track the expiry date and set a reminder well before it.
Can staff upload their own replacement documents?
Yes. A well-controlled workflow lets staff supply replacements from their personal action while an authorised reviewer accepts or rejects the submission.
Should managers receive every reminder?
Not necessarily. Start with employee reminders and use manager notifications for due-soon exceptions, overdue items or unresolved rejections. Too many copied messages make the important exceptions easier to miss.