# Screen officers to BS 7858

Agencies screen their officers to BS 7858 on the Screening tab of the officer's profile: the same five- or ten-year window, periods, gap check, applicant consent and references as an organisation uses for its own staff. Both agency roles can run a screening and mark it complete; only an Agency Admin can override the consent gate or accept a gap, and each override is on your audit trail with its reason.

## Where is it?

**People → Officers**, open the officer, then the **Screening** tab. Only your own agency sees it; an organisation the officer works for never does. What an organisation does see is a single **BS7858** line on the officer's card on its request page — **Cleared** once you have marked the screening complete, **Screening in progress** before that.

## Who can do what?

| Action | Agency Admin | Agency Coordinator |
|---|---|---|
| Start screening, edit the window, add periods, set check dates | Yes | Yes |
| Send consent links and references, remind, mark received, cancel | Yes | Yes |
| **Mark complete** | Yes | Yes |
| **Override (Admin)** the consent gate, **Override gaps (Admin)** | Yes | No — the buttons are not shown |

Every consent or gap override is recorded on your agency's [audit trail](/docs/agency/agency-audit-trail), with the reason given.

## How does it work?

Exactly as it does for an organisation's employees, with your agency's own copy of the BS 7858 rules: a 5-year window by default, gaps of 31 days or more, at least 1 employment and 2 character references received, and the applicant's consent before any reference goes out. The full procedure — starting a record, the consent link, periods and the coverage timeline, references by magic link or log, reminders, check dates and **Mark complete** — is on [Screen staff to BS 7858](/docs/organisation/employment-screening).

![Bethan Ellis's officer profile at Trentside Security Personnel, open on the Screening tab and signed in as Rhys Llewellyn. Employment screening reads Vetting window Feb 2020 – Feb 2025 · 5-year period · 0 gaps, with a green Completed status and Completed 10 Mar 2025. The 8-week check is 14/04/2025 and the 12-week check 12/05/2025. The Coverage timeline is green for every month from February 2020 to February 2025. Consent signed 18 Feb 2025 08:47. Periods · 3: 17 Feb 2020 – 30 Nov 2022, Employment, Moorland Events Security · Steward · contact Jonathan Pell; 01 Dec 2022 – 15 Jan 2023, Unemployment; and 16 Jan 2023 – 16 Feb 2025, Education, Nottingham College · Level 3 Public Services · contact Anita Shah. References · 3, all received: an Employment reference from Moorland Events Security, and Character references from Rachel Okafor and Thomas Greaves. The footer reads Minimums: 1 employment + 2 character refs, with a CSV button and no Mark complete.](/docs/img/officer-screening-complete.png)

A gap does not have to be a job. A stretch out of work, in education or travelling counts as covered once it is recorded as a period of that type — as Bethan's **Unemployment** and **Education** periods are above.

## What changes when it is complete?

The status reads **Completed** with the date, and **Mark complete** and **Edit window** disappear. Periods, check dates and references can still be edited; the screening stays complete. On an organisation's request page the officer's **BS7858** line reads **Cleared**.

## If it goes wrong

| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| *… gap(s) unresolved — an Agency Admin can override* | Add a period covering the gap, or have an Agency Admin accept it with a reason. |
| *Applicant consent required before issuing references* | The officer has not signed the consent link yet. |

## Related

- [Screen staff to BS 7858](/docs/organisation/employment-screening)
- [Keep officers' compliance documents](/docs/agency/officer-compliance-documents)
- [See your agency's audit trail](/docs/agency/agency-audit-trail)