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There’s been lots of discussion about how important DBS checks are in order to safeguard children. Teachers, sports coaches and other people working with children usually need an enhanced disclosure check, and the processes for going about this is widely understood. But what happens when you have a young person who wants to work with children or vulnerable adults?

How careful are you with what you write on social media sites? Most people are aware that anything they post on a public feed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or similar might come back to haunt them when applying for a new job. No prospective employer is going to be impressed with posts being critical of your previous employer, or sharing racist or abusive posts.

Having a “family doctor” who can be called upon at any time of the day or night is a thing of the past. Despite successive governments claiming that they want to change the NHS into a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week service, we’re still some way from that. If someone falls ill out of regular surgery hours, but not ill enough to make a trip to A&E, you’ll probably end up seeing an out of hours GP at a drop in centre.

Ofsted, the agency which regulates schools in England and Wales, continues to raise concerns over the number of unregistered schools which continue to operate across the country. By law, all schools should be registered with the authorities, and meet certain safety standards. These include looking at the types of buildings which the schools operate in, and the types of staff they employ.

In an attempt to constantly improve and upgrade their service, the DBS has recently announced an option to apply for a disclosure and barring service check in Welsh. This is just the latest tweak to the DBS processing options, alongside the ability to pay for basic checks using online payment services and several other changes regarding identity checking

Nearly everyone uses social media, and for most people it’s a great way to keep in touch with friends and find out what your favourite celebrities and brands are up to. However, a minority of people get into trouble every year over their use of social media. In serious cases, this could result in prosecution and a criminal record. Are you risking your police record with your Twitter or Instagram posts?

A 2019 study by the BBC found that the UK’s largest employer is asking thousands of applicants to fund their own DBS checks. Does this mean that the NHS are charging people to work for them?

Millions of us volunteer in the UK every year. Over the course of a year, about 40% of people get involved in some sort of voluntary work, whether on a regular basis or as a one-off. It’s hard to put a value on all of this unpaid effort, but what is certainly true is that events and activities just couldn’t run without enthusiastic volunteers.

For several years, the government has been publishing data on how quickly DBS checks are being processed around the UK. Figures are issued quarterly, and the most recent figures show performance between April and September 2019.

If you’ve applied for a DBS check recently, then don’t be surprised if your certificate looks a little different to the certificates which have been issued in the past. The Disclosure and Barring Service has recently announced a change in the way certificates are printed, and although the changes are minor, it’s something which both applicants and employers should be aware of.