DBS is short for the Disclosure and Barring Service—an agency that came about from a merger between the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). The Disclosure and Barring Service enables employers in the UK to make better and more secure employee recruitment decisions, thereby preventing the wrong people from working with children, the elderly, or other vulnerable individuals.
Therefore, the agency is responsible for handling the following:
- Processing DBS checks, or criminal record inspections.
- Deciding if it is proper for a person to be added or eliminated from a barred listing.
- Adding or removing individuals from the DBS list for children and the DBS list for adults in the UK.
Types of DBS Checks
In the UK, you can only check a person’s criminal background when he or she applies for a certain position. Usually, the position is in childcare or healthcare. You can carry out one of three types of checks if you are an organisation seeking the information.
- A standard type check reveals spent and unspent convictions, reprimands, alerts, and final warnings.
- Enhanced checks show the same information as a standard check, plus any associated information that is held locally by the police.
- Enhanced checks with barred lists show the same data as an enhanced check, except they also show if a person is on the list of people who are barred from performing a specific employment role.
If your organisation performs criminal background checks, you must show your policy for employing an ex-offender to applicants who request the proof.
Going Online
DBS check documents are used when requesting a DBS check. For instance, you need to complete a DBS continuation sheet if you cannot include all the details on a standard form. Usually, if you are an employment candidate, you can go through a vetting and screening service and include your details online.
You will need to include your full name, e-mail address, phone number, e-mail address, as well as such documents as a bank statement and driving licence to the screening agency. In addition, you need to state the role of employment.
People who are eligible for enhanced DBS checks include anyone who wishes to work as a volunteer or childcare worker, or anyone who must access sensitive information in his or her job. An international DBS check is performed for anyone who has lived in the UK for the past five years, students, or international applicants.
If you go through a vetting and screening service, the check, when requested online, can usually be completed in less than 48 hours. Once the DBS check is made, the applicant receives a certificate. A DBS check is a quality assurance check—one that makes a workplace a safer place for clients and staff.