Denbighshire County Council

Challenge

Denbighshire County Council, a major public sector employer with 4,200+ staff, faced significant inefficiencies in its pre‑employment screening process. Prior to partnering with First Advantage, the Council relied on manual, paper‑based checks that created delays and made it difficult to meet recruitment SLAs.

Key challenges included:

• Slow turnaround times, with some checks taking up to a month before reaching the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
• Difficulty meeting internal SLAs, where checks needed to be completed within five days and sometimes within 24 hours.
• Limited visibility over application progress and compliance status.
• Need to modernise and move to a fully digital screening process.
• No prior system comparison, highlighting the need for a trusted, leading provider to guide the Council’s digital transition.

Solution

First Advantage delivered a robust digital screening solution supported by strong account management and branded applicant engagement tools.

Core elements of the solution:

• Digital DBS Checks (Basic, Standard, Enhanced) to eliminate paper processes and accelerate turnaround.
• Digital Right to Work introduced as part of the renewed contract.
• Branded applicant platform, improving engagement and reducing turnaround times.
• KnowYourPeople (KYP) live reporting, providing real‑time visibility of application status and SLA performance.
• Self‑serve access, enabling HR teams to track progress and manage cases more efficiently.
• Dedicated Account Management, resolving legacy issues and strengthening communication since January 2026.
• Future‑ready services, including Digital ID and Overseas Criminal Checks when the Council is ready to implement them. 

Results

The partnership has delivered measurable improvements across compliance, efficiency, and applicant experience.

• Recruitment compliance increased to 90%.
• DBS recruitment compliance reached 97%.
• Enhanced monitoring now supports safer recruitment and the corporate safeguarding panel.
• Turnaround times have significantly improved, with many checks completed within 24 hours.
• Applicant engagement is stronger due to branded digital workflows.
• Legacy account issues have been fully resolved, with the Council describing the account manager as “excellent and informative.”