Releases
Here, you'll find videos showcasing the exciting new features and improvements we've introduced each season. Our goal is to help you get the most out of our product by keeping you informed and up-to-date with the latest enhancements.
Each video provides a quick and easy overview of what’s new, demonstrating how these updates can benefit you and enhance your experience. Whether you’re a long-time user or just getting started, these releases will help you stay in the loop and make the most of our features.
Explore the latest features by viewing the seasons below and discovering what was new!
🚀 Roadmap
Discover the exciting updates and features we’re working on to enhance your experience with Access Screening. Our roadmap provides a clear view of our upcoming developments, improvements, and innovations designed to make your screening more efficient and user-friendly. Stay informed about what’s coming next and see how your feedback helps shape the future of our platform!
🍂 Autumn 2025
✨ A Fresh New Look: Screening Gets a Visual Refresh
We've given Access Screening a visual makeover to create a seamless experience across all The Access Group products you use every day. Think of it as a thoughtful redesign that makes everything feel more connected and professional.
You'll notice subtle but important changes to how Access Screening looks and feels. We've updated our typeface, refined our buttons and menus, and standardised colours across the platform. These changes are all about making your work easier and more intuitive, whilst creating visual harmony with the rest of your Access suite.
📄 Disclosure Scotland Level 1 Process Update
We’ve updated Disclosure Scotland Level 1 checks to match the DBS Standard and Enhanced checks. Once a certificate is issued, the status automatically updates to ‘Result Recorded’, giving operators full control to complete the check when they’ve viewed the certificate.
This means faster progression, better visibility, and a more consistent experience for our customers, no more waiting for manual updates from the Access Screening Support team.
🌞 Summer 2025
✨ OCR-Powered Passport & Driving Licence Autofill
No more typing, just upload and go! Candidates completing disclosure checks can now simply upload an image of their passport or driving licence. Our autofill feature, powered by Optical Character Recognition (OCR), automatically captures and fills in their details — no manual typing required.
This automation is available across DBS Basic (E&W), DBS Standard, DBS Enhanced, and Disclosure Scotland Level 1 checks. It streamlines the process for candidates, improves accuracy, and makes completing disclosure checks faster and easier for everyone.
🌸 Spring 2025
🗃 Bulk Archive Brand Configurations
All Together Now… Archive! System admins can now archive all configurations associated with a brand in one seamless action. No more time-consuming one-by-one archiving steps. One click, a quick confirmation, and your brand's workflows, tag types, questions, and documents are archived — fast, frictionless, and fully under your control.
This update also includes a summary email confirming what was successfully archived (and what wasn’t), along with clearer guidance in the archive pop-up to walk you through the process. Prefer the old way? No problem — individual archiving is still available.
📆 Set Expiry Dates While Uploading Documents
Upload, set, forget – no extra steps needed! Now, when operators upload documents to a background check, they can set the expiry date right away—streamlining the process, reducing clicks, and ensuring accurate records. No more missing expiry dates or tedious updates after upload. Just a seamless, time-saving experience that keeps your background check document management efficient and hassle-free.
🗑 Self-Service Passport and Driving Licence Deletion
We’ve empowered operators to purge passport and driving licence details when candidates add them for a disclosure check—no more waiting on Screening support!
With this update, operators who have the 'Archive and Purge' permission can securely remove sensitive candidate details within the Disclosure Identity Details section of a Background Check. Once a passport or driving licence is purged, an audit log is automatically recorded.
This feature enhances efficiency, ensures compliance, and reduces support team dependency.
❄️ Winter 2024
🔍 New Background Checks Page Filters
We’ve added powerful new filters to the Background Checks page, making it easier than ever to find exactly what you need. You can now filter by Brand, Workflow, Tags, Operator, and Date Background Check Started to quickly locate relevant background checks. Plus, your selected filters will persist even when switching between status pages, so you won’t need to reapply them each time. These updates streamline your workflow, saving you time and effort—try them out today!
🍂 Autumn 2024
⚡ Swift Workflow Setup
We’re thrilled to introduce a game-changing enhancement that will revolutionise the way system admins manage workflows. With our latest update, you can say goodbye to the tedious manual configuration of data checks. Here’s what you need to know:
Key Features:
- Automated Pre-Configuration: When you select a data check within your workflow, all necessary settings will be applied automatically! No more manual selections or worrying about missed configuration — your workflow is saved with all mandatory fields preselected for you.
- Streamlined Selection Process: Simply click on your desired check, and the system takes care of the rest. This enhancement ensures that all required fields are pre-ticked, leading to a significantly more efficient setup process.
- Read-Only Fields for Clarity: After selecting a data check, the available and mandatory fields will become read-only, preventing unintentional changes and providing a clearer workflow experience.
📄 Word Document Uploads Across All Portals
We’ve made document submissions smoother and faster by allowing Word document uploads (.doc/.docx) across the candidate, operator, and referee portals. No more converting documents to other formats - just upload and go!
This improvement is all about efficiency and ease of use. Candidates, operators, and referees can now upload documents in the format they’re most likely to use, without any extra steps. It’s a simple change, but it makes document submissions quicker, easier, and more intuitive. By supporting Word documents, we’re eliminating a common pain point and ensuring a seamless experience across all portals.
Read Release Notes For Candidates
Read Release Notes For Operators
Read Release Notes For Referees
🚗 DVLA Direct Check
We’re thrilled to announce the release of the DVLA Direct Check - a game-changing check that brings rapid, real-time driving licence verification directly from the DVLA. No more manual input, no more waiting around for results!
Speed Up Your Screening: Rapid Licence Checks, Zero Roadblocks! With the DVLA Direct Check, you can instantly retrieve key driving licence details such as driving status, endorsements, and more, all seamlessly integrated into your workflows. This means faster decisions, reduced risk, and full compliance, all with just a few clicks.
🌞 Summer 2024
🌐 Web and Social Media Check
We are pleased to introduce the Web and Social Media Check, an advanced check now available through our partnership with Fama. This check is designed to enhance your hiring process by providing a comprehensive analysis of a candidate’s publicly available online presence, including social media platforms and other open-source content.
Know more, hire smarter and harness the power of the Web and Social Media Check!
🛂 Right to Work (RtW) in the UK Check
The Right to Work (RtW) in the UK check is now part of our suite of checks! This new check is designed to simplify and expedite the process of verifying a candidate's right to work in the UK. Gone are the days of juggling multiple documents, endless questions, and separate digital checks. With our innovative solution, all necessary steps are seamlessly integrated into one comprehensive check, ensuring efficiency and compliance every step of the way.
Effortless Right to Work checking - your compliance, our priority.
🌸 Spring 2024
📝 Bulk Copy Workflow Configuration
Get ready to revolutionise your workflow management! System Admin users now have the power to seamlessly implement changes across multiple workflows with just a few clicks.
With these enhancements, System Admin users can make amendments to items on a workflow and effortlessly make those changes across various workflows. It's a game-changer that saves time and effort.
Copying Candidate and Refere Portal Messaging to Multiple Workflows
Copying Documents to Multiple Workflows
Copying Email Templates to Multiple Workflows
🌐 Digital Identity Verification - High Confidence Check
This much-anticipated feature will streamline the compliance procedure, as it allows operators to perform a single check for candidates in need of both a background check and a Digital Identity Verification - High Confidence check . This enhancement will significantly cut down the time required by operators.
A digital identity verification - high confidence check confirms a candidate's identity with a high level of assurance, without the need for manual document verification. This level of check is essential for Standard, Enhanced, and Enhanced with Barred Lists DBS checks. The check allows candidates to remotely upload images of their accepted identity documents and a motion capture to a secure online validation. Sophisticated facial recognition and fraud detection technology is then used to verify the authenticity of the documents and confirm the identity of the document holder through live face-match technology.
The high confidence check includes the following verification steps:
- Document collection (this includes database of documents that have been reported as stolen or fraudulent to the UK Metropolitan Police and Onfido database of publicly available documents)
- Motion biometric verification (high security with a head turn)
- Identity enhanced checks against various databases (these include credit agencies, voting register, telephone database and the register of deaths)
- Watchlist standard checks for Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs)
- Address verification
These measures ensure compliance with GPG45 standards for identity verification, providing a high level of confidence in the accuracy of the candidate's identity.
The benefits of digital identity checks include reduced administration by eliminating the need for manual checking, photocopying, and storing of identity documents. They also save time, as candidates can complete their identity validation quickly and securely online, with results returned promptly to the employer. Additionally, digital identity checks improve consistency and reduce the risk of fraud, as consistent security checks are performed, minimising human error and ensuring robust fraud detection.
❄️ Winter 2024
👥 Active and Inactive Users
In our ongoing effort to improve our product, we're excited to announce an enhancement for System Admin users. When navigating the Users and Permissions section, System Admins will now find two tabs: Active and Inactive. This enhancement provides a streamlined view, allowing System Admins to easily distinguish between active and inactive users within the Screening platform.
✉️ Candidate Notifications
To keep your candidates informed every step of the way, we're thrilled to introduce our new Candidate Notification feature. This feature will allow you to notify candidates of progress updates via email and text message of their onboarding journey. By automatically sending notifications, this saves valuable time for operators whilst keeping the candidate up to date.
⏱ Rapid Employment Verification Check
We are excited to announce our new Rapid Employment Verification check!
In order to expedite the referencing collection process, employers have sometimes turned to workarounds such as accepting candidate-provided documentation for verification. This introduces more administration for candidates, alongside the risks of sharing personal data and even potential fraud due to the provision of inaccurate or misleading information.
To address these issues and strike a balance between speed, data security, and minimising data collection, employers can now instantly verify a candidate's employment history, including identifying any gaps in employment, through Access Screening with Konfir's technology embedded within our product.
This integrated functionality aggregates data from various consent-driven sources, including payroll, banking or HMRC data sources in a GDPR-compliant manner, offering an efficient solution to minimise turnaround time for every request.
Employers have the flexibility within the software to select between instant employment verification checks and more comprehensive reference checks, depending on the risk level, legislation and role requirements.
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Comprehensive Reference from Employers – automate the process of sending reference requests to Employers
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Rapid Employment Verification of Employment – verify your candidates employment history digitally, depending on the risk level, legislation and role requirements.
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Combined verification – combine comprehensive employment references and rapid verification
🔄 Workflow Navigation
As part of our continuous effort to improve Screening, we've introduced a new enhancement to our workflow page, that allows system admin users to seamlessly navigate between different sections on the workflow page.
🍂 Autumn 2023
✉️ Action Email Notification
As part of our continuous commitment to enhancing the product, when an operator assigns an Action to another operator, the assigned operator will receive an email notification. This will allow the operator to stay informed and act promptly.
📃 BC Short Reference Report
As part of our continuous commitment to enhancing the product, operators are now able to download the BC Short Reference report from a candidate's background check. This will provide operators with a simplified version of the BC Reference report.
📲 Client Notifications
We're excited to introduce Client Notifications, which is tailored specifically for client managed users. Client managed users can now tailor notifications according to their preferences. They can stay informed about in system events that matter most to them.
🖥 Demo to Live Brands
Previously, when building new requirements and testing, to avoid unwanted charges, this would need to done in a separate Demo Screening platform. Once ready to use in a Live Screening platform, the configuration would need to be replicated manually by the system admin user between the Demo platform and the Live platform.
We are excited to announce that you can now have demo brands in your Live Screening platform with the availability to put them Live when you are ready to.
This much anticipated feature allows you to seamlessly transition from testing to live mode in one Screening platform, reducing duplicate input for system admin users. It also allows to create a training/testing environment for your users providing a safe environment to familiarise themselves with the platform's functionality and features.
🏠 Product Validation - Candidate Address History Section
We have enhanced the validation features to the Address History section within the Candidate Portal. The new validation has been implemented to ensure that our customers collect accurate and relevant data from candidates, whether it's for processing checks or maintaining records within their internal systems.
📋 Product Validation - Mapping Positions to Barred Lists for DBS Enhanced
We've analysed the most common rejections for barring list queries on DBS Enhanced Checks, and as a result we have now pre-configured the barring list requirements for positions which cause the highest volume of rejections.
🎓 Qualification Check Improvements
We are pleased to announce an improvement enhancing the qualification check for candidates. Through valuable feedback, we have identified and addressed an issue related to the loading time encountered when candidates search for institutions in regions with many institutions.
📂 Referee Portal - Document Uploads
We are thrilled to introduce an enhancement to the Referee Portal which will allow referees the ability to upload multiple documents in the referee portal to support the candidates reference.
⏳ Waiting for Operator Status
We are pleased to announce a significant enhancement to the Background Checks tab, tailored specifically for operators with the client management feature.
After a client managed user requests a background check, they can monitor its progress in a newly introduced status known as 'Waiting for Operator'. Operators will also have visibility into this status, and when they initiate the background check, candidates will automatically transition to the 'Waiting for Candidate' status.
📄 Workflow Name in BC Reports
As part of our continuous commitment to enhancing the product, the Workflow name can now be viewed in the background check PDF reports.
🌞 Summer 2023
📢 Client Manged User Enhancments
The following features have been released for our Client Managed Users:
- BC Request and PDF Reports user permission can now see all background checks for the Brand they are associated to
- Improved Action status
- Adjusted the status colours of References in the 'At a Glance' section to align with those displayed on the operator portal
- Removed Access Branding from email notifications
Read Release Note - BC Request and PDF Reports User Permission Can Now See All BCs for Brand
Read Release Note - Improved Action Staus
Read Release Note - Reference Colour Status
Read Release Note - Access Branding Removed from Email Notifications
📇 Product Validation - Title and Gender
We are pleased to announce further enhancements to the product validation which will further help reduce the number of Disclosure Errors you see on your checks due to invalid data being entered by candidates.
We have made changes to add further validation to the Title and Gender fields within the candidate and operator portal.
🗑 Remote ID - Archive and Purge
We are pleased to inform you that you can now archive and purge your Remote ID checks. To cater for the requests of an Individual's ‘right to erasure’, the Screening platform will allow permitted users to archive and purge single Remote ID checks or bulk archive Remote ID checks for candidates that are no longer required to be kept on file.
🔗 Remote ID - Start and Link a Background Check
We are pleased to inform you that you can now link your Remote ID checks to background checks. This feature will allow you to start a background check for an existing Remote ID check and link a Remote ID check to an existing background check.
✉️ Remote ID - Resend Email for Standalone Checks
We are pleased to inform you that operators now have the ability to resend candidate links for standalone Remote ID checks. This enhancement ensures that candidates who may have deleted or not received their initial email can be resent the email to complete the check.
🌐 Remote ID in Workflows
We are excited to announce that the Access Remote ID check for IDVT RtW is now available within workflows.
This much-anticipated feature will streamline the compliance procedure, as it allows operators to perform a single check for candidates in need of both a background check and a remote IDVT RtW verification. This enhancement will significantly cut down the time required by operators.
Candidates will also have the convenience of entering their check details through the Third Party portal, providing them with a more efficient and time-saving experience.
📋 Remote ID Workflow Selection
Previously, Remote ID workflows could only be configured at Brand level.
Operators will now be able to select the remote ID workflow from the 'Start Remote ID Check' page. The operator will also be able to view the Remote ID workflow the candidate was put through on the Remote ID Applications page.