DBS Checks Everything You Need To Know

A DBS Check is a legal prerequisite for employers in the UK.

Millions of DBS checks are completed each year. For a few companies and organisations within particular segments (e.g. healthcare and education), DBS checks are required by law.

The aim of DBS check is to avoid organisations hiring staff who may cause, criminal, financial, legal, or reputational harm. DBS checks also safeguard children and /or vulnerable adults.

In this blog, an answer will be provided to the most common questions employers and applicants have about DBS checks.

What Does DBS Stands For?

DBS Stands for Disclosure and Barring Service.

What is a DBS Check?

A DBS Checks looks to see in case a person has a criminal record. Following a check, if a criminal record is found, it will reveal convictions and cautions of the person in question.

DBS checks are an essential requirement for those applying to work in teaching, healthcare, or other sectors where there are children or vulnerable adults.

What are the Three Types of DBS Checks?

There are three primary types of DBS checks:

?? Basic

?? Standard

?? Enhanced

Basic:

This can be used for any position and reason. It contains points of convictions and cautions from the Police National Computer (PNC) that are considered to be unspent under the terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974.

Standard

This details all criminal history, including cautions, notices, censures, and convictions held by the Police National Computer (PNC). These are typical checks taken out on court officers, prison employees, Security Industry Authority (SIA) Personnel etc.

Enhanced

Like a standard DBS, an enhanced DBS moreover searches the DBS Children’s Barred List or the DBS Adult first (which ensures the candidate is not banned from working with vulnerable groups). Typically, these are performed on (but not constrained to) education and healthcare professionals.

What are the Three Stages of a DBS Check?

A standard DBS check has three stages:

Stage 1 – The DBS accept and approve the application.

Stage 2 – The PNC (Police National Computer) is checked.

Stage 3 – The revelation is printed and sent the applicant’s home address. The applicant then passes this to the decision-maker at the organisation.

An Enhanced DBS Check has Five Stages:

Stage 1 –The DBS acknowledge and approve the application

Stage 2 –The PNC (Police National Computer) is checked

Stage 3 – A check is conducted on the Children’s and/or vulnerable adults List

Stage 4 – Local Police Searches start

Stage 5 –The divulgence is printed and sent to the applicant’s home address. The applicant at that point passes this to the decision-maker at the organisation

Numerous people find they get stuck at stage 4. This normally happens if an applicant has lived at multiple addresses. This may also be caused by an excess of applications, limited staffing, and/or internal limitations.

How Long Does a DBS Check Take?

An essential DBS check is usually issued within 24 hours. For a standard DBS check, this usually takes 48 hours. In any case, it changes depending on the circumstances and it can take up to 14 days.

On average, it takes 5 to 6 working days to get a DBS Certificate through the post. In any case, it can take up to 4 weeks depending on the circumstances.

Who Needs a DBS Check?

Employers can chose whether a DBS check is required for the job. Numerous companies do actualise a basic DBS check, because it prevents hiring unsuitable applicants, who may cause financial, legal, or reputational damage.

Standard DBS checks are an essential necessity for financial and legal industries. SIA personnel, jail workers, court officers, to name a few.

Enhanced DBS checks are required by any organisation where the applicant will be working with vulnerable groups (e.g. children). By law, healthcare and educational organisations must perform these checks.

Should an Employer Pay for DBS Checks?

Employers do not have to be pay for an applicant’s DBS check by law. It varies by company or organisation. It may not be practical for smaller companies to pay for the check an in specific recruitment agencies may ask the employee to cover the cost and refund once a certain period of employment has been met.

How Long Could be a DBS Certificate Valid For?

DBS certificate don’t have an official ‘Expiry Date’. In any case, an employer ought to decide how regularly they ought to perform checks on their staff.

For employers in sectors where enhanced DBS certificates are required, the official recommendation is to renew every 3 years. A few organisations may perform rechecks more frequently (each six months, annually, once every two years etc.)

How Distant Back Does a DBS Check Go?

DBS Checks use a ‘Filtering Period’.

For under 18s, the filtering period for cautions is 2 years and 5.5 years for convictions. For over 18s, the filtering period for cautions is 6 years and 11 years for convictions. However, it should be noted that there’s a strong lift of offenses that will never be filtered from a DBS certificate.

DBS Checks – A Guide to Employers

In case significant and proportionate to the part, you have the right to perform a criminal record check on an employee. In expansion, if your company is within a sector that requires staff to be DBS checked then it is your legal duty to ensure this is done compliantly.

Disappointment to perform a criminal record check when it’s required might lead to contracting unacceptable applicants, who may cause financial, legal, or reputational damage. Depending on the estimate of your organisation, you will got to carry out DBS checks individually or in bulk.

Conclusion

DBS checks ensure that when you are introducing a new person into delicate roles, such as those responsible for powerless individuals, that the right decision is being made. This will help decrease the vulnerability.

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