It’s becoming increasingly common for students to combine a period of working in a business with their university studies, or to undertake work experience while still at school. Employers are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of students during their industry placement. This includes providing a safe working environment, proper induction, and suitable training, but there is often confusion about whether the student needs a DBS check if they are only there one day a week, or whether the other people in the office need to have a check to work with the student or young person.
Risk Assessment
A risk assessment should be conducted before any student starts their placement, particularly if your business operates in a high-risk sector. This is particularly important for factories, warehouses or other environments where accidents could easily happen with untrained and inexperienced workers. Schools and colleges can usually help employers with this part of the process. Employers should also make sure that their insurance is updated to accommodate for students who are on placement or work experience
Safeguarding and DBS Checks
DBS checks are usually only required if students are carrying out work known as regulated activity, such as nursing, childcare or working in the courts service. DBS checks cannot be carried out on anyone under the age of 16.
Even if DBS checks are not required for the student of the other staff members, there are various things businesses should be doing to keep young people safe. This will involve thinking about things like working hours to make sure young people are not working too early or too late, and avoiding situations where students are on their own, or working with just one other member of staff. Schools and colleges can often provide really good advice about what is expected from an employer during a placement.
Many businesses choose to sidestep the whole issue of DBS checks, which are known as PVG checks in Scotland and AccessNI in Northern Ireland. They do this by choosing to allow young people and children to do work experience in areas of the business which do not need a DBS check, such as working in an office environment or in a shop dealing with customers. This does not opt them out of safeguarding though.
Getting a DBS Check
If your business does require DBS checks for employees, then a student on placement doing the same work will need a DBS check too. Colleges and schools can help as a link between the business and the student, to make sure the form is completed properly and in plenty of time to get the paperwork back in time for the placement to start. Bear in mind that although older employees might have gone through the DBS application several times, this is all new for many younger people and they might require a bit more support. Their teacher or placement coordinator will provide most support, but be prepared for more questions and queries than with older applicants.