A message from our Chief Executive - 9 April 2020
How the SIA is responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
During these challenging and difficult times I want to keep you up to date on how we are responding to the COVID-19 crisis. We know the significant impact that COVID-19 is having on the industry, and we are exploring initiatives to enable businesses to operate while managing this crisis.
Key developments include:
-
Remote training pilot - a key area of concern has been around training. We are piloting, under very carefully controlled conditions, remote training for some licence linked qualifications. We will be evaluating the pilot with a view to rolling this out more widely. This will be done only when we have assured ourselves that the systems of assessment are robust.
-
Approved contractor scheme assessments - in response to concerns raised by approved contractors, we have extended all annual assessments by an initial 3 months. We will review the extension at the end of this period.
-
Approved contractor fee payment extension - approved contractors due to pay fees in the next three months will be given up to three months to pay instead of the normal 21 days. Any approved contractors wishing to take advantage of this should contact us via their business account.
-
Disclosure Scotland electronic applications - for individuals in Scotland applying for a licence, I am pleased to advise that Disclosure Scotland have created an electronic application process in order to allow for disclosure applications to proceed. This allows licence applications to progress and decisions to be made as normal.
Our customer support team continues to operate. If you require help, please contact us through your online account or via the ‘contact us’ form on this website. We are continuing to respond to business enquiries within 48 hours, and responding to individuals as quickly as possible, usually within five working days. Please only submit one message, we will reply as soon as possible.
We are continuing to process new licence applications made through businesses using our Licence Management service. The Post Office remains open to do this but with some temporary closures and limits to service. To find your nearest open branch and avoid unnecessary travel, please use the Post Office’s branch finder at www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder.
Please do not send any documents to the SIA as our office is closed. Any documents already in our possession are being stored safely and will be returned as soon as it is safe to do so, but this may be some time off in the current climate. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, but the situation is currently beyond our control.
We are continuing to work with colleagues in the Disclosure and Barring Service and with our system suppliers to implement online methods for identity verification, to the appropriate standard, without relying on physical documents where possible.
As we enter the Bank Holiday weekend may I take this opportunity to wish you a happy and safe weekend.
Please continue to follow the Government advice.
Stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.
Ian Todd
Chief Executive