Screening & vetting
What is screening record retention?
Screening record retention is the requirement to keep screening files for a defined period after the individual leaves, so that they can be produced for audit or in an investigation.
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<img src="https://secureoptix.co.uk/glossary/screening-retention/diagram.svg" alt="screening record retention — diagram from SecureOptix" width="880" height="620" loading="lazy">
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<a href="https://secureoptix.co.uk/glossary/screening-retention">What is screening record retention?</a> — diagram by
<a href="https://secureoptix.co.uk">SecureOptix</a>
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</figure>Retention is where firms with good screening still fail audits. Doing the work and being unable to produce the file afterwards leaves the same evidential position as not having done it.
The period runs from the end of employment rather than from the screening, which means leavers' files need managing rather than archiving and forgetting.
Retention also runs against data protection obligations not to keep personal data longer than necessary, so a defined period held to in both directions is what is actually required.
What goes wrong in practice
- Leavers' files deleted or archived beyond retrieval.
- Files retained indefinitely, which is its own compliance problem.
- Retention period assumed rather than taken from the standard.