GG Verified · Terms 2026-10-09 · Background consent 2026-10-09
Programme terms and document privacy
The Guru Guide evidence-review programme. Contact info@theguruguide.co.uk.
Document uploads and payments are not open yet. You can read the programme terms here while we prepare to open the programme.
The optional programme
GG Verified is a voluntary evidence-review programme for one named practitioner listing, separate from free Starter and £9.99/month Professional membership. The review team assesses identity, background evidence, relevant qualifications, current insurance and first-aid evidence. Payment opens after all five areas are approved and current.
What background review covers
The voluntary minimum is a Basic DBS certificate issued within 12 months in England/Wales, Level 1 Disclosure Scotland evidence in Scotland or Basic AccessNI evidence in Northern Ireland. The actual practitioner role may require additional appropriate checks. Higher-level evidence is reviewed only through a lawful route. Contact the team before submitting a higher-level certificate if the role or review route is unclear. A reviewed document does not guarantee safety or suitability for every service.
Evidence and review dates
Evidence must match the named practitioner and listed services. Guru Guide reviews existing evidence; it does not purchase or run a DBS check. Certificates have no official DBS expiry date. The programme normally requires recent background evidence and a review at least annually; the earlier relevant evidence expiry or programme deadline applies. A permitted current manual Update Service check may support older appropriate DBS evidence, with consent and legal entitlement. Basic checks cannot use that service.
Annual subscription
GG Verified costs £99 per year for this listing, renewing automatically each year until cancelled. Third-party checks, insurance and training are additional costs. Stripe processes payments. You can stop future renewal using Manage Verified billing. Payment alone does not grant a badge: current approved outcomes, current ownership and an active paid period are required. Evidence expiry removes the badge and does not by itself cancel annual renewal.
Cancellation and refund requests
You may request a full refund within 14 calendar days of your first Verified payment by contacting the team. The team verifies the request against the original payment, stops renewal and ends verification when refunding. Renewal disputes and other refund requests are reviewed individually. Statutory rights are unaffected. Closing Verified or withdrawing background consent removes verification and stops future Verified renewal; your ordinary account and Professional membership remain available.
Consent and public information
Before uploading background evidence, you must separately choose whether to consent to its review for this genuinely optional programme. Ordinary account terms are separate. You can withdraw through your application. The public listing may show the necessary reviewed check type, scope and review dates. Documents, certificate numbers, criminal-history details, file names and internal notes are private. The operator documents its lawful basis and applicable criminal-data processing condition before real collection.
Private storage and access
Uploaded PDF, JPEG and PNG files are encrypted before storage in our private database. They are separate from public practitioner photos. Only you and appointed document reviewers can access them. We keep a limited record of access and review decisions. Review notifications do not contain certificate attachments. Encryption protects file contents; we keep only the other information needed to manage your application.
Document retention
Raw identity/background files are normally removed 30 days after the final review decision or an appeal closes, whichever is later. Abandoned pending raw files are removed after 90 days without a meaningful applicant action. Necessary active insurance, first-aid and qualification evidence is kept during its review period and removed within 30 days of expiry or closure. Rejected/superseded files follow the relevant shorter rule; replacing a file removes its previous raw copy and returns approval for review. A restricted documented dispute/legal hold may require longer retention with periodic review.
Review records and deletion
Scheduled raw-file removal can retain a justified current outcome without displaying a working file-download link. Explicit deletion, replacement, invalidation or withdrawal removes the relevant approval or full badge. Minimal check/type/scope/date and decision records are kept for the active programme, then normally 30 days after closure unless a documented need requires longer. Financial records have a separate justified schedule. You can ask for access, correction, deletion or restriction by contacting the team.
Backups and recovery
Encrypted backup copies follow the hosting retention schedule; the operator records the actual period before activating real collection. Removing an active file does not instantly erase every backup copy. Disposal and withdrawal states are reconciled before restored data serves requests.
Clarification and appeals
An uploaded image alone is not independent authentication. Reviewers check identity, authenticity, issuing body and relevant role/service scope and may request clarification. A disclosure is considered individually against the documented relevant standard. A current rejected document can be appealed from your application within 30 days. Contact the team for other clarification or rights requests; keep criminal-history details out of ordinary enquiries.