What is a Basic DBS Check?
When you apply for a job, you complete your application form and from that the short-listing panel decide about who they will invite to interview. You will attend an interview, and may sometimes be required to do a test, or a presentation. All these steps are to try to ensure that the hiring organisation gets the person best suited to their job vacancy.
A further step of the recruitment process can be a DBS check. DBS stands for Disclosure and Barring Service. These DBS Checks are useful, because they check whether a job candidate has any criminal history in their past, and this can help to determine whether they can be trusted and are safe to work in certain jobs.
What type of DBS checks are there?
Three main DBS checks exist:
- A Basic DBS Check
- A Standard DBS Check
- An Enhanced DBS Check with Barred List
These checks are incrementally more detailed and thorough.
It is possible for an individual person to request a Basic DBS Check, whereas the other checks must be requested by an employer on their behalf.
What does a Basic DBS Check cover?
A Basic DBS gives a simple report of a job candidates criminal history. It covers:
- Unspent convictions (records of a crime committed that have not yet reached a set time period where they are removed from a person’s record)
- Conditional caution (offenders need to comply with conditions, rather than be prosecuted. Usually, they are spent after three months)
It does not cover any spent convictions (these are convictions that after a defined number of years can be removed from an individual’s record), if you wanted to check for spent convictions, then a Standard or Enhanced DBS check would be needed.
What Type of Jobs May Request a Basic DBS Check?
- Administrators
- Supermarkets
- Delivery Drivers
- Warehouse Staff
These jobs may request a DBS check because there can be trust involved with either customer’s data, or stock, or products and the employer will want to ensure there is minimal risk to their business, to avoid theft, or misuse of information. If a job ever involves working with children or vulnerable adults, then a thorough in-depth Enhanced DBS Check with Barred List should be carried out.
How Can I Get a Basic DBS Check?
You can apply for a Basic DBS Check yourself, or your employer could request this on your behalf. The Basic DBS Check is the only type of DBS Check that an individual can request. The Standard Check and Enhanced DBS Check can only be requested by an employer.
The easiest and most efficient way to apply for a Basic DBS Check is online. You complete the application form, making sure that you have filled in all fields accurately, and provided an accurate previous address history, with no gaps; pay a small fee and then the form will be processed. Once this is done, you will then be sent your Basic DBS Certificate. Applying online means the form is at less risk of postal delays, than a paper copy form, and if you have any queries about it, the form is easier to track electronically.
