DBS stands for Disclosure and Barring Service, which is a government agency in the UK that provides criminal record checks. The DBS check is a background check that is carried out on individuals who work or volunteer with vulnerable groups, such as children or elderly people.

There are mainly three types of DBS checks:

Basic DBS check: This checks for unspent convictions and conditional cautions.

This criminal check method runs the candidate’s details to the Disclosure and Barring Service – Ministry of Interior to check for convictions and conditional cautions that are considered to be unspent under the terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This can also be conducted on candidates no longer living/working in England or Wales.

Mandatory Requirements: 5 years address history with dates of stay, filled-out DBS Application form, E-Mail Address, Passport/National ID reflecting Full Name, DOB, Nationality, and Birth Town, Birth Certificate and Current Driving License.

Standard DBS check: This checks for spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings.

This method shows the candidate’s details of both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and warnings that are held on the Police National Computer, which are not subject to filtering (removal of protected convictions and cautions).

A Standard DBS Check is suitable for certain roles which fit with the Standard DBS legislation – Eligibility guidance for standard DBS checks – (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbs-check-eligible-positions-guidance). An individual cannot apply for a standard check by themselves. There must be a recruiting organization that needs the applicant to get the check.

Mandatory Requirements: Passport/National ID reflecting Full Name, DOB, Nationality, and Birth Town, Birth Certificate, Current Driving License.

Enhanced DBS check: This checks for the same as a standard check plus any additional information held by the police or other relevant information from local police forces.

This method shows the full details of a criminal record (i.e. cautions, warnings, reprimands, and convictions – both spent and unspent), and also searches the children and vulnerable adults ‘barred list’ to see if the applicant is prohibited from working with these groups.

Enhanced DBS checks must be conducted on anyone working with children, or vulnerable adults.

The methodology of this check involves the candidate undergoing an online application, which will be assisted by a representative from a DBS-registered body. Once the application has been completed, it will be submitted by the representative to the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service). The DBS will then dispatch a certificate to the address provided by the candidate.

Through the online application, the candidate must present the required identity proofs and also indicate the mailing address in receiving the certificate once the Enhanced DBS check has been completed as all Enhanced DBS Certificates are issued through post mail.

Note that Enhanced DBS Checks can only be carried out on candidates from England or Wales, who are being employed by companies based in England or Wales. If an overseas employer needs an Enhanced DBS Check to be done on a candidate who had lived in England or Wales, it can only be done by the candidate via a certificate of conduct issued by the Police. 

Mandatory Requirements: Active e-mail address (for online application purposes) and identity proofs such as Passport/National ID reflecting Full Name, DOB, Nationality, and Birth Town, Birth Certificate and Current Driving License.

Avvanz also offers Basic Disclosure Scotland Check, ICPC and Volunteer DBS Check. The screenshot below from our multi-award winning ScreenGlobal platform (https://www.avvanz.com/screenglobal/) shows the options. Feel free to contact us at consult@avvanz.com for more information.