Camden Council Trialling "Ban the Box"

The London Borough of Camden is the first local authority in London to trial ‘Ban the Box’ to help remove barriers to employment for people with criminal convictions.

Camden will now use job applications without a tick box that asks applicants about their criminal record. This will apply to all of the authority’s roles that don’t require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Roles that require such checks often relate to working with children or vulnerable groups of people.

Ban the box is an initiative introduced by Business in the Community. It is a campaign aimed at removing the criminal declaration at the application stage of the recruitment life cycle. Business in the Community are promoting the campaign as part of their fair access to employment project, this sits hand in hand with our Camden 2025 priorities. In removing the criminal declaration box at the application stage, we hope to encourage candidates with spent and unspent convictions to apply for jobs with us.

Benefits according to Business in the Community “Banning the Box” is the first step to reducing reoffending through employment and brings a number of business benefits, including access to a wider, more diverse talent pool. It also increases access to a wide range of skills and experiences which can help to address skills shortages and support efforts to enhance diversity. Ban the Box will also provide access to valuable employees and recruit from hard to reach communities, and in turn will further enhance Camden’s reputation as an inclusive employer whilst contributing to strengthening local communities and wider society.