DBS Checks

DBS checks can sometimes be essential for staff and volunteers carrying out certain roles, but they’re not always necessary. We can support you in understanding when you will, and won’t, need to ask your staff and volunteers to get a DBS certificate.

To discuss DBS checks please contact Mark Waddington on 01524 555900 or by email at [email protected].

We have partnered with Burnley, Pendle, and Rossendale CVS to offer a full DBS checking and application service and can offer the following:

  • Standard DBS check for staff or volunteers – £50
  • Enhanced DBS check (with or without barred list check) for Staff – £80
  • Enhanced DBS check (with or without barred list check) for volunteers – £35

Unfortunately we can’t offer DBS checks for people who are self-employed, such as freelance workers or other contractors, as an organisation must apply for the check. Self-employed people should either apply directly for a basic check, or ask an organisation that wishes to contract their services to apply on their behalf.

Basic checks are available by visiting the DBS service online, provided directly by the UK Government Disclosure & Barring Service.

Our fees include:

  • DBS processing charges
  • Charges from Burnley, Pendle, and Rossendale CVS for their services
  • Printing and postage
  • Our support to your applicants, helping to make sure that the form is correctly filled in.

Eligibility

Before we can begin to arrange for a DBS check, you must establish the eligibility of the role. You can use the government toolkit and guidance documents (working with children and working with adults) to find out. Please make sure that you do this first. If you are unsure, get in touch with us for further advice.

Once you have determined that the role is eligible, we can arrange an appointment with the applicant to complete a DBS application form and have their evidence documents verified.

Process

If all documents are presented as specified in the DBS guidance, a single meeting to complete the form and validate the documents will be all that is required. Please bear in mind that if there is a delay between completing the form and presenting all required evidence, there is a chance that the form may be rejected by the DBS service which means it will need to be completed again.
 
Once we have validated the form and documents, we will send an invoice. Prompt payment within 14 days is appreciated.

If the applicant has a passport, a driving licence (or both), they should make sure they bring them with them.

It isn’t necessary to provide a document with their National Insurance number on it, but if they have an NI card or a P60, it’ll be helpful to see it.

A full list of accepted documents can be found here.

There are three possible routes which verify the applicant’s identity:

Route 1

The applicant must be able to show:

  • One document from Group 1, (see link above),
  • and two further documents from either Group 1, Group 2a, or Group 2b.
  • At least one of the documents must show the applicant’s current address.

If the applicant isn’t a national of the UK and is applying for voluntary work, they may need to be fingerprinted if they can’t show these documents.

Route 2

Route 2 can only be used if the applicant can’t produce documents which satisfy Route 1.

Route 2 may not be used by applicants who wish to undertake voluntary work and are not UK nationals.

For Route 2 the applicant must be able to show:

  • One document from Group 2a,
  • and two further documents from either Group 2a or Group 2b.
  • At least one of the documents must show the applicant’s current address.

We must then also use an appropriate external ID validation service to check the application.

Route 3

Route 3 can only be used if the applicant can’t produce documents which satisfy Routes 1 or 2.

For Route 3 the applicant must be able to show:

  • A birth certificate issued after the time of birth (UK, Isle of Man and Channel Islands),
  • one document from Group 2a,
  • and three further documents from Group 2a or Group 2b.
  • At least one of the documents must show the applicant’s current address.

If the applicant can’t provide these documents they may need to be fingerprinted.

Once everything is checked and considered to be accurate, we will send the form off for processing.

The certificate is posted directly to the applicant, to the current address stated on the form. Provided that there are no issues with the form, this usually happens within 2 to 4 weeks.

If you do not receive your form in this time, we can check its progress. If the certificate has been posted but you have not received it, you must let us know ASAP so that we can arrange a replacement.

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