This circular letter introduces a technical bulletin (TB 0049) which details the technical aspects of the new edition of BS 7858 which was published in September 2019 and supersedes BS 7858:2012 which is withdrawn. This document also summarises the main changes to the standard. The revision of BS 7858 widened its scope making it more applicable to a working environment outside the traditional security sector. The theme of the standard is biased more towards risk with an emphasis on risk assessment. More responsibility is placed on the role of senior management to provide, for example, appropriate resource to ensure there is an effective screening process in place. The standard has added clarity that the ultimate responsibility is held by the requesting organisation where security screening is outsourced. The requirement in the 2012 edition for character references has been removed as it could easily be abused. The use of automation is now recognised within the standard. The ever growing popularity of social media as a source of information is recognised by the standard identifying that it can be used as supplementary information but will not replace the use of traditional sources required elsewhere in the standard. Forms found in Annex A of the standard are now informative, allowing organisations to customise forms to meet their own needs. This new edition of BS 7858 will be a mandatory requirement from the 1st April 2020. The arrangements for the implementation of the new standard can be found in technical bulletin TB0049. Where is the standard available? The standard is available for you to download from the NSI website if you are a subscriber to the NSI Standards on Subscription service. Hard copies of the standard can be purchased directly from BSI or can be ordered through NSI at a discounted cost to yourself. Questions or queries? If you have any questions or queries regarding the implementation of the new requirements, please do not hesitate to contact me.