How to apply for a UK DBS Check

What is a DBS check?

DBS – Disclosure and Barring Service means checking the criminal record of any candidate before joining the company. The check was initiated in May 2013 to check whether the employee is fitted for the job opening. DBS check is done in three ways Basic, Standard, Enhanced. DBS checks the entire record of any candidate. It is a kind of pre onboarding check for the candidate. For this check, the candidate needs to fill online application and submit related documents like;

• Driving license
• Passport
• Any bond or insurance paper
• Address proof of last five years

UK Disclosure and Barring Service check the records of candidates living in England and Wales. There is also DBS for Scotland for the applicant living in Scotland and Ireland.

There is a different type of check involved for each opening. For example, suppose the job profile is related to children or teenagers. In that case, the check is done thoroughly, or an advance check is performed. There are forms of caution and convictions applicable for the opening. So, specific filters are applied for a specific job opening. Certain filters are applied in this DBS check, which gives a genuine report about the candidate and benefits employees by giving a fair onboarding experience.

Consequently, it safeguards the candidate from inequitable or partial treatment, like having any criminal record, which is irrelevant for the position. In DBS, check filtering is a process that protects applicants from various cautions or convictions, which is not the relevant part of the current role. It also protects the privacy of the candidate. The DBS check filters also ensure the interview is conducted relatively for the candidate.

Any candidate, before going for a DBS check, should know what kind of offences are considered as a filter for this check:

• Any offence or sentence which happened many years before is not considered as part of this check
• Applicants with no custodial sentence will be filtered in this check
• The candidate going through this check should have more than one criminal record

After checking these parameters candidate can proceed to fill out the application. Before filling out this form, the candidate should be aware of the norms and functioning of the check. DBS check report is always kept confidential for the benefit of the applicant. Online DBS check is done by experienced experts who help both employers and employees. This check is done in three ways, they are:

BASIC DBS CHECK

This is a basic check for any candidate applying of or above 16. Being the less intensity check, the price is nominal for this. The conviction or criminal charge as per the Rehabilitation of offenders Act 1974 is included in this check. This check gives the genuine report of the individual. The document needed for this check are:

• Document of identification like passport or driving license
• Address proof like electricity bills, House agreement, bank statement or credit card details etc

STANDARD DBS CHECK

The range of checks is increased as compared to basic checks. It’s more intensive than basic. This check is conducted for a specified position in the job. This intensive screening indicates that their current and previous employers verify the address proof or ID before proceeding with this check. The documents required for this check are:

• Primary documents like passport, driving license, rent agreement, or birth certificate
• Two other documents which are government certified like marriage certificate, HM force ID card, Bank statements, entitled government documents, etc

ENHANCED DBS CHECK

This kind of advance check is done mainly when the profile is related to vulnerable populations like children or the elderly. In this entire criminal record is checked. This check involves all the checks of standard DBS check and checking the information provided by the local police. This check is mostly done for health-related fields and educational departments. The documents needed for this check are:

• Documents needed for basic DBS check
• Documents needed in standard DBS check
• Documents related to financial and social history like National ID card, Pension document, council tax statements, work visa, sponsorship letter, educational proof certificate by the head of the institution, etc.

So, when you want to apply for an online DBS check, you can’t verify your own documents rather the verification should be done by someone else. And during this COVID situation, we all know most companies do not conduct one-to-one interviews. So, this check is done online. These documents need to be verified by a third party for the remote employee and then submitted for this check. This kind of check makes the onboarding genuine and permanent.

Visit our Compliance Centre to know all about DBS checks