Healthcare is the kind of profession where trust and the person’s credibility are the most important factors. If a healthcare professional isn’t trusted, patients and healthcare firms won’t feel comfortable working with them and rightfully so! To ensure that the person you are essentially trusting your patient’s lives with, DBS checks exist that allow employers to check a person’s criminal record before hiring them. DBS checks are actually a vital part of the recruitment process, and it is often necessary. But what is DBS?
If you don’t know what a DBS check is, what DBS stands for, and why it is important, this article is exactly what you need! So, without further ado, let’s get started!
What Does DBS Mean?
DBS stands for Disclosure and Barring Service. Well, that doesn’t help, does it? The Disclosure and Barring Service is a government agency, or as it’s officially categorised ‘a non-departmental public body.’ So, if you were wondering what a DBS check stands for, here’s your answer.
The entire purpose of the DBS is to ensure a safe recruitment process by allowing employers to check the criminal records of their candidates. So, what exactly is a DBS check, and how does it work?
DBS Check
A DBS check, as discussed earlier, is a person’s criminal record. Every employer has to perform a DBS check in order to ensure that their candidates are trustworthy and safe individuals, especially in jobs that involve social welfare, children, patients, etc. So, a DBS check is an essential part of the recruitment process.
You might have heard about CRB checks as well, and you’ve probably wondered what a CRB check is. Well, CRB stands for Criminal Records Bureau, and before DBS existed, this was the responsibility of the CRB. So, if you hear anyone saying they want to run a CRB check, they’re the same thing as a DBS check.
There are various types of DBS checks that allow employers to pick between basic and enhanced criminal record checks. It is essentially dependent on the type of job you’re applying for; your employer will require a specific type of DBS certificate to apply for the job.
Types Of DBS Checks
DBS checks are offered in four types; again, it entirely depends on your employer and the type of job you’re applying for to choose which DBS certificate you need to apply for. Take a look:
Basic DBS check
A criminal record check that shows your unspent convictions and cautions
Standard DBS check
A criminal record check that shows your spent and unspent convictions, along with cautions
Enhanced DBS check
A standard DBS check with an additional record of any information the local police are holding.
Enhanced DBS check with barred lists
An enhanced DBS check with the additional check on the list of people who are prohibited or barred from doing that particular job.
So, these are the various types of DBS checks that employers have the option of picking from. Of course, each of these tests costs differently and takes different amounts of time to be done. This next section will also answer the question to who pays for DBS check? Let’s look into that, shall we?
How Much Does A DBS Check Cost?
The cost of a DBS check depends on the type of check you selected; we have compiled a list for you to get a clear idea of how much a DBS check costs; take a look:
- Basic DBS check: £18
- Standard DBS check: £18
- Enhanced DBS check: £38
- Enhanced DBS check with barred list check: £38
For volunteer applications, there are no charges for standard, enhanced, and enhanced with barred list DBS checks. Also, for the yearly update service, it costs £13 per year.
The next thing you might be wondering is how long does DBS take?
How Long Does a DBS Check Take?
Well, a DBS check takes about eight weeks, but it depends on the type of DBS you went with and whether it requires the DBS to coordinate with local authorities. So, that may or may not take a little longer than eight weeks.
So, now that you know everything there is to know about DBS checks, let’s look into how to get a DBS check!
How To Get A DBS Check
DBS checks are applied for on behalf of your employer, meaning that you can’t just go out and get a DBS check for yourself; there’s a separate process for it called a basic disclosure.
Your employer will apply for a DBS check on you. We have laid out the process in simple steps; take a look:
- Your employer will get a DBS form for you
- You will receive your DBS form and fill it out
- You will send the DBS form back, along with any official documents that are required by the DBS
- Your employer will submit the completed form, along with the documents, to the DBS
- The DBS will perform checks based on the type of DBS check your employer opted for
- After the checks are completed by the DBS, you will receive an official DBS certificate that you will present to your employer and finish up your recruitment process.
So, this is what a DBS check is, how it works, how long it takes, and how much it costs. We have done our best to answer the question of what is a DBS check, and hopefully, now you know everything about DBS checks. If you want to streamline your recruitment process and let experienced professionals take care of this for you, you can get in touch with our recruitment specialists. Primus Recruitment provides the most trusted and qualified candidates for the job!
