Understanding Which DBS Check a Job Candidate is Eligible For
When you are recruiting for new members of staff, it is customary practice run DBS Checks of prospective staff members, to check their criminal background and use the information presented to help make an informed decision about their suitability to a job role. Most DBS Checks will come back with no information about past criminal records. However, DBS Checks may contain information, and the offenses recorded could be minor, or significant. It can be difficult to determine which type of DBS Check a person is eligible for, and this article is here to help you with that decision.
Is a Job Candidate Eligible for a DBS Check?
Anyone can request a DBS Check, so the individual could either request this themselves, or you could do that on their behalf. If they require a Standard or Enhanced DBS this is something that the organisation needs to apply for on their behalf and depending on their role will determine which type of DBS Check is suited to them. When determining which DBS Check a person requires, think about the following questions:
- What work does the role include?
- Where will the candidate be working?
- How often will the candidate work?
- Who will the candidate work with?
- Will the candidate supervise children or vulnerable adults?
If a person is working in a job role, where they are not looking after (or coming into close contact with on a regular basis) children or vulnerable adults, then they are unlikely to be an eligible for an Enhanced DBS Check. If they have a job role which does not involve personal data or financial information, then they may not be eligible for a Standard DBS Check. It is important to get the right DBS Check for the individual job role.
What if You Accidentally Apply for the Wrong DBS Check?
Before DBS conduct a check on an individual, they will check that the candidate is eligible for the level of Check requested. If DBS think that the wrong Check has been requested and the candidate is ineligible, then they will contact your business to request more information. DBS are likely to request clarification on:
- What duties the job involves.
- Where the job is located.
- Who the applicant will be working with (whether this includes children or vulnerable adults).
It is illegal to request an Enhanced DBS Check for a candidate if the job role is not eligible; so, for example if you wanted an Enhanced DBS Check conducted on a sales assistant, who would not be conducting regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults, then this would be against the law.
If someone will be carrying out regulated activity (working unsupervised with children or vulnerable adults) then it is mandatory that they have an Enhanced DBS Check with Barred list, which will check for spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, warnings, locally held police information relevant to the job role, and the Barred Lists to ensure that their name does not appear on them, as someone who has been identified from past criminal behaviour as someone unsuited to working with children or vulnerable adults for reasons such as violence or abuse.
It is worth doing research to ensure that the DBS Check you are requesting for candidates is the correct one.
