If you are a student at the College, depending on the course you are studying, or if you are allocated a work placement where you will be working with children or vulnerable adults, you will be required to do a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check, you cannot start your Work Placement without one.
Read this page for all the information you need to start the DBS checking process. As the process can take up to 6 weeks, it is very important that you start as soon as possible in order to get your DBS check completed in time to start your Work Placement, and complete all the sections that are required.
DBS check process:
- Complete an online DBS application form, you will need to bring your ID in to show a member of the DBS Team before we can submit the application
- You need to provide different forms of ID to prove who you say you are, where you have lived for 5 years, and your age
- Once your application has been sent, it is checked by the DBS, which is not part of the College
- The DBS contact the local police forces of where you have lived to check whether you have a criminal record, or have ever been convicted of an offence against a child or a vulnerable adult
- You then receive a DBS Disclosure Certificate, which will list if you have any convictions
- If you have a conviction – you need to tell the college Risk Assessment Team as soon as possible (see contact information at the bottom of this page)
- If you receive a DBS Disclosure Certificate that has no convictions or cautions, it is called a ‘clear DBS Disclosure check’.
- If your DBS Disclosure Certificate has something on it, it is called a ‘positive DBS Disclosure check’. The Risk Assessment Team may need to meet with you to get more information, and it may affect you doing a placement.
- You will then need to bring your DBS Disclosure Certificate in to show a member of the DBS Team, or your Work Placement Coordinator before you start your Work Placement.
Do I have to pay?
- If you are 19 or over on 1 September (i.e. at the start of your course), you will be required to pay £38 for your DBS check. This fee is non-refundable
- If you are under 19 It is free unless there are any errors on your application form, and the DBS cancel the application. You will need to pay £38 to do a new one as the college won’t pay for another one, which is why it is important to get all the details right when you fill out the form.
- If you lose your DBS Disclosure Certificate, you may have to pay £38 to do another application.
Leicester College’s legal responsibilities
- As an organisation assessing applicants’ suitability for positions included in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order, and the Police Act 1997, using criminal record checks processed through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), Leicester College complies fully with the Code of Practice, and undertake to treat all applicants for positions fairly
- The Code of Practice and Recruitment of ex-offenders policy statement (students) is part of the college’s DBS policy and procedures and is available on the College website see here, or you can request a copy through the DBS Team.
FAQs:
What is a DBS check?
DBS stands for ‘Disclosure and Barring Service’, it’s part of a UK wide criminal conviction checking system. People who work closely with children, and vulnerable adults with care needs, must be DBS checked. DBS checks look at whether you have a criminal record, or if there is police intelligence that could affect you working with children, or vulnerable adults with care needs, this helps to ensure children, and adults in care and nursing homes are kept safe, and that people who could be a risk are not able to access them.
Why do I need a DBS check?
You will need a DBS check because as part of your course, you will be going on a work placement where there are either children or vulnerable adults. If you have regular contact with children and/or vulnerable adults, and be in a position of trust and care of them any schools, nurseries, care and nursing homes will all require you to be checked. You cannot work in these areas without one.
What does a ‘vulnerable adult’ mean?
A vulnerable adult means an adult aged over 18, who needs community care, as they are not able to care for themselves because they have an illness, disability, injury, learning difficulty, or are just not able to care for themselves.
In order to work in a care home, or a nursing home, you have to have a DBS check, as you will be looking after vulnerable adults who are not able to care for themselves.
What sort of ID do I need to show?
A number of key forms of ID are needed. Such as passport, drivers’ licence, birth certificate, bank account, child tax credits. Up to five documents could be needed. You need to be over the age of 16 before we can apply for a DBS check – although you can still complete the online application and bring in your ID, but we won’t send the application until you have turned 16. The documents needed will depend on the route you take. Any route you take you must provide minimum 3 documents.
Find out more about the types of routes and ID required here:
What is the DBS privacy policy?
The DBS have a privacy policy that explains how your data is used and stored. It is important that you read and understand how your data is used. You must sign the declaration form to say you have read it. You will be either sent an email with the declaration or will have to complete it during your meeting. If you need help, contact the DBS Team who can go through it with you.
You can read the privacy policy here.
What happens after my application is sent to the DBS?
If you did a paper application, it takes up to 6 weeks. If you did an online application, it takes about two weeks. You’ll then be sent your DBS Disclosure Certificate. Do not lose it! Keep it ready in your bag as the college will need to check it before you start your placement.
What if I don’t get my DBS Disclosure Certificate – What do I do?
It is up to you to find out where your DBS Disclosure Certificate is if you haven’t got it in a few weeks.
If you did a paper application, you would need to call The DBS on: 0300 0200 190 or you can contact them using the webchat, or by email – see ‘Helpful Contacts’ at the bottom of the page.
If you did an online form, you need to contact e-safeguarding on: 0115 911 1177.
What do I do if my DBS Disclosure Certificate is wrong?
You need to contact the relevant number above and tell them what is wrong with it. You will also need to let the college DBS Team know.
l lost my DBS Disclosure Certificate – what do I do?
Let the college DBS Team know and then contact DBS or E-Safeguarding and tell them you need a copy. They may ask you to pay £38 to do a new application.
It is important not to take care of your certificate, and most importantly don’t lose it!
How to keep your DBS Disclosure Certificate safe from wrong use?
- Your DBS Disclosure Certificate is your responsibility to keep safe. Information on your certificate is confidential to you
- DO NOT give your DBS Certificate to anyone to photocopy or scan. The DBS Disclosure Certificate must never be copied by anyone as it could be used to commit a crime
- A member of the DBS Team or your Work Placement Coordinator will ask to see your DBS Disclosure Certificate to check for any convictions, and we record the disclosure number, and the date of DBS Disclosure Certificate as a record that you have got one, and are okay to start your placement
- Your Work Placement Coordinator will ask to see your DBS Disclosure Certificate as well. They are not allowed to take a photocopy or scan it. If they do, you must report this to the College DBS Team.
Can I use my DBS Disclosure Certificate for a job when I leave the College?
- Your DBS Disclosure Certificate is for use at Leicester College only.
- If you plan on working either in the care or childcare industry, you will always need to have a DBS. To save you doing a new one every time you start work somewhere, you can join the Update Service.
- The Update Service is an online subscription service that lets you keep your standard or enhanced DBS Disclosure Certificate up-to-date. It also allows employers to check a Certificate online, with your consent. You only have to pay for one DBS Disclosure Certificate – and you won’t have to wait for it to be renewed. Additionally, the Update Service might just give you a crucial edge when applying for new roles as you will already have an up-to-date DBS Disclosure Certificate.
- Once you have received your DBS Disclosure Certificate, you can sign up to the Update Service here:
Helpful Contacts and Links
Leicester College DBS Team
- 0116 224 2240 and request to speak to the DBS Team
- Email: DBS_Team@leicestercollege.ac.uk
Do You Have a Criminal Conviction?
Contact: 0116 224 2240 request to speak to the Risk Assessment Team
Email: student_risk_assessement@leicestercollege.ac.uk
For Paper Forms – The DBS
- DBS service webchat – https://disclosure.homeoffice.gov.uk – find ‘webchat’ on the menu on the left.
- DBS customer service team: 03000 200 190 or customerservices@dbs.gov.uk.
- DBS Track your application: https://disclosure.homeoffice.gov.uk – find ‘Track an Application’ on the menu on the left.
For Online Forms – E-Safeguarding
- ES customer service: 0115 911 1177
Join the Update Service –
- The Update Service is an online subscription that lets you keep your DBS certificates up-to-date and allows employers to check a certificate if given permission
DBS Privacy Policy
To read: