If you want a job that involves working with and caring for children or vulnerable adults, you need to have what is called a DBS check. This will look into whether you have any current or previous criminal convictions and cautions. Which your potential employer will need to do through the Disclosure and Barring Service.
These are the following industries that you would need to have a DBS check for:
Teacher
Social Worker
Child Minder
Foster Parent
Carer
Medical professionals specialising in paediatrics
If you have had a previous DBS check done, the good news is they don’t expire. According to Due Diligence Checking, it’s recommended that you should have a DBS check every 3 years, so you will always have an up to date record. However, it will be up to the employer if they want to have a new check done alongside your application, even if you have one already.
Although the company will need to pay for it and send it off on your behalf, you still need to fill out the application and provide the following documentation to prove your identity:
• All addresses for the last 5 years and the dates you lived there
• National Insurance number
• Passport and driving licence
This is to ensure the relevant checks can be carried out successfully. If your application is successful and comes back clean you will then be awarded a DBS certificate, and you can start your new job!
If your application comes back with any convictions, the process will most likely be terminated and you won’t receive a certificate. If you have any spent convictions, they will still show up on enhanced checks, but it would be down to the discretion of the employer if they want to overlook them. To find out more about spent convictions, please click here.
There are three different types of DBS checks and the employer will choose the appropriate one, as it will be down to what sort of job you have applied for.
Standard - Covering convictions, reprimands, cautions, and final warnings.
Enhanced - Covering the Standard check plus any relevant information held by police.
Enhanced with list checks - Covering the Enhanced check, plus a check of the DBS barred lists.
If you have any convictions on your file you know about then just be honest from the beginning. It may mean you need to reconsider your career and look at other opportunities that won’t necessarily be affected by a DBS check; it really is all about having realistic expectations about the job roles you apply for.
If your check gets rejected, you can appeal against it if you feel any of the information is incorrect or it hasn’t been carried out fairly. Whether you think there is a mistake on your criminal records or your personal information is wrong you need to report it.
This is just the tip of the DBS iceberg, so it wouldn’t hurt to get yourself organised. If you know you will need to be DBS checked for a new job, prepare yourself with all the relevant information and get your documentation ready. Do make sure you do your research, so you are confident the checks are being done properly and there will be no inconsistencies within your application.
For more information on DBS checks, please click here to find out more.