Category Archives: DBS News and Advice

It’s natural to be a little concerned about what might be revealed on a disclosure certificate. It’s not a procedure which most of us go through every day, and few people understand the intricacies of the system. To add to the confusion, the way in which information is presented has changed several times over the years.

Starting a new job means lots of filling in forms with things like bank details so you can get paid, and your P45 from your last job to ensure that your tax is in order. If your new position needs a police criminal records check too, then there’s a bit more paperwork which you have to complete before you can get your certificate in the post.

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act in the UK dates back to 1975, way before the creation of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) or its predecessor, the Criminal Records Bureau, or CRB. One of the core components of the 1975 was the idea of “spent” convictions.

One of the most common myths around references is that it’s illegal for an employer to give you a bad one. This isn’t actually true, and with more employers checking carefully into the backgrounds of the people they employ, it’s important to know the position around giving and receiving references, and why employers might want to check.

Understandably, the recruitment process for joining the police is somewhat more involved than most other types of employment. There are some things which will probably see you fail the vetting though and knowing what these are will put you in a better position when deciding whether to apply or not.

Concerns over safety and care of relatives in care homes puts the family in an impossible position; they are unable to provide care for home at their elderly relative, but they don’t feel that they would be safe in a care home either. However, there could be a third option, of paying a full time carer, or carers, to live-in. But how practical – and expensive – is this choice?

The NHS launched a huge appeal for Covid volunteers at the start of the pandemic, and the British public responded in their thousands. Now that the vaccine is starting to be rolled out across the UK, the appeal for help has been renewed, and it’s not just medical volunteers who are needed.

Be it in healthcare or hospitality, starting up solo in the service industry could be what you've always dreamed of but be sure you have the relevant accreditations in place before going it alone. Having the right level of a CRB check is going to be the make or break of your business, so make it your business to have this crucial aspect in place before you start out.

Initially carried out by the Criminal Records Bureau, CRB checks are now carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), which was formed in 2012. The DBS is a merger of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) to make it easier to collate convictions of individuals who could pose a threat to the sector they are applying to work in.

Depending on the sector you are in, there might be a chance that you and your team will need a certain level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance. If you don’t belong to or represent an organisation that is recognised by the DBS then you can use an online CRB check service for fast and reliable results.