Screening & vetting
What is a screening gap?
A screening gap is a period in an applicant's history that has not been accounted for or verified. Unresolved gaps mean the screening does not meet the standard, however complete the rest is.
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<img src="https://secureoptix.co.uk/glossary/screening-gap/diagram.svg" alt="screening gap — diagram from SecureOptix" width="880" height="620" loading="lazy">
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<a href="https://secureoptix.co.uk/glossary/screening-gap">What is a screening gap?</a> — diagram by
<a href="https://secureoptix.co.uk">SecureOptix</a>
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</figure>Gaps are not in themselves a problem — people travel, study, care for relatives and are out of work. The problem is a period nobody has evidenced, because that is precisely what the standard exists to close.
Short gaps between jobs are usually acceptable within defined limits; longer ones need an explanation and something supporting it. Knowing which is which before starting avoids a file that has to be reopened.
Gaps are also the thing an audit samples for, because they are quick to spot and they indicate whether screening was done properly or completed to a deadline.
What goes wrong in practice
- A gap recorded as explained with nothing evidencing the explanation.
- Officers deployed while a gap is still open, with the file finished afterwards.
- Gap tolerances assumed rather than taken from the current standard.