The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has introduced the Supporting Safer Sports campaign, aimed at helping sports organisations make safer recruitment choices by providing comprehensive safeguarding guidance and advice. Sports organisations play an essential role, offering physical, mental, and social benefits to millions of children and adults across the UK and in many cases the coaches are unpaid volunteers. Safety of children and adults taking part in sport is paramount, and most roles involved training or coaching require an enhanced DBS check.
A dedicated Supporting Safer Sport campaign website has been launched by the DBS, providing tools and information for sports organisations of all sizes, from grassroots to elite levels. Although aimed at England Wales, sports organisations in other parts of the UK will find information of interest on the site as well.
Safer Sports Website
The safer sprots website is designed to answer all the questions which people who are involved in sports may have around recruitment and checks for both paid members of staff and volunteers. On the website you will find information about:
- DBS check eligibility for various roles within sports, explaining which checks might be required.
- Referrals - guidance about when a referral should be made, and guidance about how to submit barring referrals when necessary.
- DBS’s Regional Outreach team - the people within the DBS who can give access to free, bespoke training and support to help organisations address any safeguarding queries or concerns.
Why DBS Checks are Important in Sport
DBS checks are instrumental in creating safer sporting environments by helping organisations assess a person’s criminal record for suitability in roles involving vulnerable groups. The four levels of DBS check - Basic, Standard, Enhanced, and Enhanced with Barred List - provide different levels of information depending on what sort of work the volunteer or employee will be doing. Most sports organisations in the UK are part of a nationwide governing body, and they will give advice to smaller clubs about what checks are needed, and will help organise the paperwork for them to be done.
The Supporting Safer Sports campaign website also guides organisations in choosing the appropriate DBS check level, ensuring sports remain a safe space for all participants. In many cases, there are legal restrictions on the checks, meaning that individual clubs are not free to make the decisions about which checks they run.
Getting a DBS Check
If you are thinking of volunteering with a sports club, or taking a paid position with a sports club, then it is likely that you will be asked to have a DBS check, especially if the role involves coaching children or young people. You should be guided through the application process, which is straightforward. You will be asked to provide your personal details such as name, address, date of birth and previous names you may have gone by. After police records are searched, the DBS produces a report with anything relevant. The DBS system should also provide reassurance to parents sending their children to sports clubs that safeguarding is being taken seriously.
