Important Changes to Our Service

Things are hotting-up here at the DBS, as we expect to be able to announce the launch date for the Update Service imminently.

We know that you are keen to learn this, as you will need time to prepare for its introduction, and as soon as we have the green light we will let you know. However, there are some things that you can start doing right now to prepare both for this, and for a couple of other changes that will come into effect at the same time as the Update Service.

As we introduce the new service we will also be making two important changes to the operation of our current Disclosure service. Firstly, a change to how you complete ‘position applied for’ field on the DBS application form, and secondly that Registered Bodies will no longer receive a copy of an applicant’s DBS certificate. You may recall that we previewed these changes in April’s edition of DBS News.

Position applied for – what you need to do now

Due to a change in legislation, you will need to complete field x61 on the application form differently, and you should start to do this right now. Changing the way you complete this field now, for all DBS application forms, will ensure that any DBS certificate issued after the Update Service commences can be used by the individual in the new service, and to take it with them from role to role within the relevant workforce(s). This is because the Police will now use this broader definition of ‘workforce’ to assess the relevance of any information that they may consider for release, in place of ‘position applied for’.

Action Required 

You should now include one of the following phrases in field x61, line 1:

‘Child Workforce’ Use this for any position that involves working/volunteering with children.
‘Adult Workforce’ Use this for any position that involves working/volunteering with adults.
‘Child and Adult Workforce’ Use this for any position that involves working/volunteering with both children and adults.
‘Other Workforce’ Use this for any position that does not involve working/volunteering with Children or Adults e.g. security guard.

Applicant-only DBS certificates – are you ready?

The second change that will come in at the same time as the Update Service is that we will no longer issue a copy of the applicant’s DBS certificate to the Registered Body. You should now start thinking about the changes that you may need to make to your recruitment processes and procedures, as you will soon need to ask the applicant to see their DBS certificate.