I won’t belong to any association that would have me as a member ~ Groucho Marx
Like many of you in your line of work, there is an association of companies that do what we do—background screening. Our association is called the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA), previously known as the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) and founded in the early 2000s. VICTIG has been a (proud) member since our inception.
Something that makes stand out is being part of a small, elite group that is PBSA Accredited.
Several years ago, PBSA developed a standard of best practices (and practices to avoid) and codified them into a comprehensive program requiring extensive written policy and procedure. PBSA has contracted with an independent auditing firm to review all policies and procedures and perform an onsite audit to ensure compliance with what is written.
In 2019, VICTIG went through this process, and in early January of 2020, PBSA announced that VICTIG had been awarded PBSA Accreditation. The press release can be found here.
And while we may be patting ourselves on the back a little, what’s more important is what this means to you and your applicants and employees. The rigorous onsite audit, by the independent auditing firm, examined our written policies and compliance with six critical areas:
- Consumer Protection
- Legal Compliance
- Client Education
- Product Standards
- Service Standards
- General Business Practices
Thus, when using VICTIG, you can know that the private information you provide to us is protected with the latest and most stringent IT protocols. VICTIG complies with all regulations and legal best practices. We provide information to assist you with your legal compliance and changing laws and best practices. We have an extensive quality control program for every product and our internal business practices are best in class.
PBSA Accreditation is not a “lifetime achievement” status. There is an interim audit every three years and the entire process must be repeated anew every five years. VICTIG is committed to continuing the practices and documentation to maintain PBSA Accreditation.
So, unlike Groucho, we are proud members of PBSA, but we are prouder still of our accreditation status and what it means to you as you entrust us as your screening partner.
You can find an overview of PBSA Accreditation on the PBSA site here: https://thepbsa.org/accreditation/accreditation-overview/
