Checks for self-employed or personal employees
A self-employed person or a personal employee who is employed directly by a private individual to deliver services to them or a member of their family can apply for their own AccessNI standard or enhanced check using the services of an Umbrella Body.
When to apply for an AccessNI check
A self-employed person or a personal employee can apply for an AccessNI check if the role they are undertaking is a position of regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults.
To find out more about the relevant level of AccessNI check you need to apply for there is information you can read.
- guidence for employer obligations and fair treatment
- definitions of regulated activity - regulated activity with children and regulated activity with adults
- seek assistance from an Umbrella Body
- contact AccessNI on 0300 200 7888 or accessni-compliance@accessni.gov.uk
How to apply for an enhanced check
A self-employed person or a personal employee will need to use the services of an AccessNI Umbrella Body to process the AccessNI check for them.
An Umbrella Body will provide the self-employed applicant with a link and the PIN number they should use for the relevant level of check and will guide the applicant through the process.
The Umbrella Body will charge a fee for their service in addition to the cost of the AccessNI disclosure certificate.
AccessNI disclosure certificates
Once the application has been processed, the self-employed individual or personal employee will receive an email notification to advise that their digital disclosure certificate has been issued to their nidirect account.
A self-employed person or a personal employee should log into their nidirect account where they can view or share their digital certificate with individuals employing their services.
Guidance for employing self-employed workers or personal employees
Employers can find out more about using the information disclosed by an AccessNI certificate by reading the guidance.
Personal examples
Peter the tutor
Peter provides maths tutoring to children in his local area. Peter is not affiliated with an agency or an employer and undertakes this work as a self-employed individual. On average he works two evenings a week. Peter is eligible to apply for an AccessNI enhanced check with the children’s barred list via an Umbrella Body.
Once Peter has received his certificate he will be able to show this to the parents/carers/guardians of the children who are looking to hire him. They can ask to view his certificate and use this information as part of considering Peter’s suitability to work with their child.
Kelly the personal carer
Kelly is a personal carer – she provides support to adult clients who wish to recruit her under the direct payments scheme. As part of this support Kelly will provide personal care to clients as well as doing their shopping for them. Kelly is eligible for an enhanced disclosure with the adult barred list check. Kelly can apply via an Umbrella Body.
Once Kelly has received her certificate, she will be able to show this to the individual(s) recruiting her services. They will be able to use this information as part of considering Kelly’s suitability to work with them.
Jason the self-employed plumber
Jason is a self-employed plumber, he is interested in getting an AccessNI enhanced disclosure with both barred list checks as he believes this is needed for his role which involves entering customer’s homes. The Umbrella Body he approaches advises he is not eligible for this type of AccessNI check and Jason can consider applying for an AccessNI Basic disclosure.