What Are Regulatory References and Who Should Provide Them?

Regulatory references are a special type of reference that is commonly required in: - Care Sector - Financial Sector - Educational Sector The referee verifies your employment period and job title and also answers mandatory questions, required by industry regulations and your employer to ask, about safeguarding (care and education), fitness within your controlled function from the FCA (financial sector), or other required questions for your type of role. If you have worked a role in one of these sectors, this would be a regulatory reference type. ### Thinking about who you should use as a regulatory reference? We recommend providing your most recent employer or your previous manager from these regulated organisations as a regulatory reference. ### What if I don't have a regulatory reference I can provide? Don't worry if you don't have a regulatory reference you can provide either **academic references** or **character references where required**. You may also be able to provide this reference under a different type of reference if set up by your employer. For an academic reference, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click **Add a non-employment period**. To continue, you will need to add in the following: - **How would you define this period of non-employment?** which can be selected as - Education/ Studying/ Training - **Start date of this period** - **End date of this period** - **What was the reason for this period?** - Briefly explain why you were not employed during this time and why an employment reference is not available. Justifications that are private or sensitive do not need to be disclosed. You will be asked to provide optional documentation which includes enrolment or acceptance letters, or student ID. Once you’ve provided documentation or want to proceed, click **Next**. You will be then asked to provide an **Academic Reference** for this period. This should be someone like your teacher or advisor from your time in school. Once you’ve provided those details of an academic referee if required, move onto the next page to provide your digital signature. After completing this, click **Submit** to add your non-employment period and request this academic reference. --- For a character reference, **this will only be possible if toggled on by your employer to accept** so please check with your new employer first. If it is allowed for your checks, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click **Add a non-employment period**. To continue, you will need to add in the following: - **How would you define this period of non-employment?** which can be selected as - Travelling - Seeking employment - Other - **Start date of this period** - **End date of this period** - **What was the reason for this period?** - Briefly explain why you were not employed during this time and why an employment reference is not available. Justifications that are private or sensitive do not need to be disclosed. After completing this section, depending on what you picked, you will be asked to provide optional documentation for each of these types. - **Travel**: visas or boarding passes. - **Seeking work**: Jobcentre or benefits letters, or bank statements. - **Other**: no specific documents suggested. Once you’ve provided documentation or want to proceed, click **Next** Next, you may be asked to provide a **character reference** for any of these above periods. Character references should come from individuals in respected professions or good community standing and must not be relatives. Once you’ve provided those details if required, move onto the next page to provide your digital signature. After completing this, click **Submit** to add your non-employment period. --- If it’s not a regulatory reference and you have worked just in another sector, you may be able to provide the reference request under a different type of reference. The other possibilities that might be available are - Employment Verification - Professional References If you see these options on your submission page and you have a non-regulatory referee to request a reference from, input their details into either of these sections instead. This makes sure your reference is requested under the correct type of reference.