Some employers will request a DBS check to be carried out as part of your screening. We are a service that acts on behalf of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to process all criminal record applications for businesses, private and public organisations. It is our job to check the documents you provide and then submit your application to the DBS.
If you do not provide sufficient documentation to carry out the check, your screening will be rejected.
What is required for the DBS check?
To carry out a Basic DBS we just need your consent, a valid proof of address and a valid proof of ID.
To carry out a Standard or Enhanced DBS we need your consent, a valid proof of address, a valid proof of ID and a third valid document which can either be a proof of address or a proof of ID, but must be different to the two documents already provided.
How long does a DBS check to return?
Incorrect information on your application form can cause your DBS results to be delayed or your application to be cancelled entirely. It is imperative you provide complete and truthful information while filling in your application form.
A Basic DBS check will normally be returned to us within a day or 2 of being submitted. We will receive an electronic certificate which will then be included in the final report sent to your employer. You should receive a paper copy of the certificate within a week or so.
A Standard DBS is more in depth and therefore will take longer. Usually the results will be returned in a couple of weeks, after which point we will receive the electronic certificate and you will receive the paper certificate.
An Enhanced DBS is the most in depth, and therefore will take the longest. The results can take several weeks to return, again at which point we will receive the electronic certificate and you will receive the paper certificate.
DBS applications go through several stages. If a Basic DBS has been at Stage 2 (Police National Computer Search) and a Standard or Enhanced DBS has been at Stage 4 (Records held by the Police search) for more than 60 days, we can escalate to the DBS. If we still do not receive the results 2 weeks after escalating, we would ask you to contact the DBS directly to request an update.
The most common reason for results being delayed is dishonest or incorrect information being provided in the application, so please ensure you fill in the form fully and truthfully to prevent this.
What is found on a DBS check?
Convictions, cautions, warnings and reprimands are required by law to remain on a person’s criminal record for a certain period of time, after which they are considered ‘spent’ and therefore removed or ‘expunged’. Some convictions are so serious that they are never expunged.
Spent convictions will usually not show up on a Basic DBS check. However, if it was a serious offence and you served time in prison, it will show up but will be marked as a spent conviction.
A Standard DBS will show details of all spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings held on central police records (apart from protected convictions and cautions).
An Enhanced DBS check contains the same information as a standard DBS check, plus any extra information held about you on local police records. It will only include this extra information if the Chief Police Officer considers it relevant. It also includes a check of the DBS’s children and adults barred lists if these are relevant to the position you have applied for.
The electronic results we receive will only state whether there is adverse information or not. If there is adverse information found, we do not see what it is. Details of what has been found will only show on your paper copy.
If the results indicate there is adverse information found, we will inform your employer who must then request to see the paper certificate from yourself. What happens after that is entirely at their discretion. If negative information is discovered, the final decision of whether to continue with your screening lies entirely with your employer.
If you are worried about potential negative information being uncovered and how it may affect your screening, the best thing is to talk to your employer, as they are the ones who will make a decision based on the information.