What is a DBS check?
A DBS check has three key purposes:
- To prevent unsuitable individuals from working with vulnerable groups
- To check if there are any reasons why a potential employee may be inappropriate for the role they have applied for
- To respond to referrals from organisations that are concerned that a candidate may not be suitable for a job due to the reasons above.
Why do Carers need a DBS check?
DBS checks for carers is essential as they are responsible for the welfare of patients. You will be in close contact with vulnerable adults whether you are working in a care home or entering a patient’s home to deliver care. The NHS defines a vulnerable adult as somebody over the age of 18 who needs support and help to look after themselves or to protect themselves from exploitation. Therefore, staff working in the care sector must undergo a DBS check to prevent unsuitable candidates from working with vulnerable adults.
By carrying out DBS checks on your team, you are avoiding the risk to both your organisation and the vulnerable groups. It is against the law to employ someone who is barred from working with vulnerable adults. DBS checks help give you peace of mind that you’re employing the right people for the right job.
Standard or Enhanced for Carers?
At Cavity, we offer two types of DBS:
Standard DBS check - contains comprehensive criminal record information without a check against the barred list. It details spent and unspent convictions, as well as any cautions, warnings or reprimands they may have received.
Enhanced DBS check – this is the most comprehensive level of DBS check available, detailing spent and unspent convictions as well as the ability to check against the child or adult barred list. Police authorities may also disclose any additional relevant information. This level of check is only available for specific roles, typically those involved with working with children and vulnerable adults – all clinical dental staff need to have an enhanced DBS check carried out.
Carers will require an Enhanced DBS check, the highest level due to the environment they are working in.
How to apply for a DBS check?
As an enhanced DBS check is required for Carers, the employer must apply on their behalf. This can be done on our DBS website here.
You will be asked to complete a form with the applicant’s personal information. You will need to provide:
- Full name and any previous names
- Date of birth and place of birth
- National insurance number
- Address history for the past 5 years including in the UK and abroad
We will also require some documents from you such as:
- Driving licence
- Passport
- Proof of address
After we have received all the required information, we will then complete the official paper application form. This will be posted to you for signing and an invoice will be included. You will then need to sign and return back to us for processing. Lastly, we will email over your track and trace number, allowing you to keep track of the process of your DBS.
In-house service
One of our Cavity representers will provide you with professional support to complete your DBS application. We will visit your place of work at a convenient to you, to finalise the relevant documents. The process afterwards will remain the same as the online process.
Document Verification
We use Passbase, an online company which uses state of the art facial recognition and biometrics to verify your documents against the applicants face. This will give you a scoring to ensure you are the person requesting the DBS check.
The DBS process
Stage 1: DBS Application Form
Your DBS online application is passed onto the Disclosure and Barring Service before scanning it onto their system. If there is missing information or any errors, the DBS will return it back to us for classification.
Stage 2: The Police National Computer (PNC) is searched
The details will then be checked against the PNC database for any possible matches. If there is any criminal activity requiring verification from the national computer, they’ll be highlighted if there is a cause for concern.
Stage 3: Children’s and Adults’ Barred List Checks
This will apply to Carers. Anyone who applies for an Enhanced DBS check. Relevant information from the DBS application is verified against the appropriate barred list to check for any matches. If someone is revealed to be on one or both of these lists, they will be prohibited from hiring them.
Stage 4: Enhanced DBS goes to your local police force
All Enhanced DBS checks submitted online are sent to the applicant’s local police force for an additional check of their criminal record before being submitted to the DBS.
Stage 5: DBS Certificate
And the final stage, the certificate is printed and dispatched via Royal Mail to your home address. Only one certificate is issued, and this is only to the applicant.
If you haven’t received your certificate in the post within two weeks, we can request a reprint, but we can only do this within 3 months of the certificate being issued.
DBS says to allow up to 6-8 weeks for an application to be processed but around 80% of all applications are completed within 2 weeks.
How much does it cost to have a DBS carried out with Cavity?
Standard check - £18.00
Enhanced check - £38.00
Cavity service fee £12.50 + VAT (if more than three applications are being carried out, we will give a 10% discount)
Document verification fee £10.00 + VAT (if more than three applications are being carried out, we will give a 10% discount)
DBS checks for Carers are a vital part of safeguarding for your organisation, as well as ensuring you are employing suitable candidates. We understand applying for a DBS check can seem confusing and a lengthy process however it is most definitely worth it.
We provide an online and in-house service to make your journey as easy, quick, and affordable as possible. Cavity also provide bulk applications if you have several new members of staff joining. For more information, email compliance@cavitydentalstaff.co.uk.
You can also contact us by phoning 0118 4023793.