As an Umbrella Body of the Disclosure and Barring Service, we work extremely hard to ensure that the DBS applications we process meet all the necessary eligibility criteria, promising a quick and easy process.

DBS Check eligibility is a complex area of overlapping legislation. Due to its complexity, our team regularly asked what level of DBS Check an applicant requires for their job role.

We’ve put this handy blog together to help answer any questions you might have about DBS Check eligibility.

What you'll find in this blog:

What are the different types of DBS checks?

The DBS offer 3 different types of criminal record checks to ensure the correct level of information is accessed depending on the job role:

Basic Disclosure or Basic DBS Check – this is available for all individuals, regardless of their job role. This level of DBS check will look through an individual’s criminal history, showing any unspent convictions that the applicant may have.
Standard DBS Check or Standard Disclosure – this is only available to organisations or companies who are completing a DBS check on somebody's behalf in order to make a suitability decision. This will check an applicant’s criminal history for cautions, warnings, reprimands and convictions.
Enhanced DBS Check or Enhanced Disclosure – similar to a Standard DBS Check, this type of check must be completed by an organisation or company on an individual's behalf (with their consent) and will also check an applicant’s criminal history for cautions, warnings, reprimands and convictions. Additionally, Enhanced DBS Checks can also include a check of the DBS's Children's and/or Adult barred list. Local police forces are also able to add any relevant information they hold on the applicant.
Volunteer DBS Check – we can process Standard or Enhanced DBS Checks for a discounted rate if the employee is a volunteer. These Checks will provide the same searches as outlined above for Enhanced DBS Check or Standard DBS Check.

How do I know which level of DBS check an applicant is eligible for?

To establish the level of check you or your applicants are eligible for, a Personnel Checks advisor may ask several questions. Examples of these questions include:

What types of activity will the applicant be involved in?
In what type of establishment will the activity take place?
How frequently the activity will take place?

We ask these questions to establish which level of check you are eligible for. Gaining the following information allows us to make an informed decision to ensure you’re completing the correct level of check:

Activity = the types of activity the applicant is undertaking such as:

Teaching
Cleaning
Personal Training

Establishments = the place where the activities may take place, such as:

Schools
Office
Hospital

Frequency = how often the activity will take place within these time frames:

How many hours per week
How many days in a 30-day period

Eligibility required for each level of check

What are the eligibility criteria for a Basic DBS Check?

There are no eligibility criteria for a Basic DBS Check. Anybody can purchase a Basic DBS Check for themselves at any time.

What are the eligibility criteria for an Enhanced DBS Check?

The criteria for an Enhanced DBS Check is different dependant on the role of the applicant or the types of people they work with: children, adults or other. You may be eligible for an Enhanced DBS Check based on the following criteria:

Working with children

Activity: if the activity is regulated activity (a role that involves working with children)

Establishment: if the applicant works in specialist environments that involve working alongside children (e.g. schools, academies, colleges, residential children’s care homes etc)

Frequency: The frequency of the activity is either 4 or more times within a 30-day period, or once or more times a week

You can use the flow chart to help establish eligibility for any roles working with children, based on Activity, Establishment and Frequency:

For example, an applicant who is teaching a group of 10 children how to sew once a week within a school would be eligible for an Enhanced DBS Check.

Working with adults

There are specific regulated activities that you must be involved in to be eligible for an Enhanced DBS Check when working with adults.

Table of Regulated Activity — *Example eligibility for working with adults*

We have outlined the most common areas of regulated activity in the table.

There are always exceptions and the information in this table should not be taken as legal advice.

Working with others

There are some job roles which enable an individual to be eligible for an Enhanced DBS Check who are not working with children or adults.

Some examples of these job roles include:

Individuals applying for or renewing an operating licence to run premises where gambling can take place
Individuals applying for or renewing a licence to run the National Lottery or promote or sell tickets in relation to that lottery
Individuals applying to be a Maritime armed guard on UK ships where they can carry, acquire or transfer weapons and/or ammunition
Individuals applying for or renewing a taxi or private hire vehicle licence

Please note that these are just a few examples of job roles that meet the criteria for an Enhanced DBS Check, when working. Please find a full list of job roles that meet the ‘Other Workforce’ eligibility criteria for an Enhanced DBS Check here.

What Are The eligibility criteria for a Standard DBS Check?

The Standard DBS Check tends to be quite strange when it comes to eligibility. This level of check is generally reserved for specific job roles, which can include:

Medical Receptionists
Solicitors (On entering the profession)
Accountants (On entering the profession)
Pharmaceutical sales
Certain roles in the gambling industry

If you think you require Standard DBS Checks for your organisation, please contact us directly for advice.

What Are The eligibility criteria for a Volunteer DBS Check?

In order to apply for the discounted Volunteer DBS Check, you must meet the eligibility outlined above for either the Standard or Enhanced DBS Check.

You must also ensure that you’re completing the job role for volunteering purposes only. The DBS define a volunteer as:

“Any person engaged in an activity which involves spending time, unpaid (except for travel and other approved out-of-pocket expenses), doing something which aims to benefit some third party and not a close relative”.

If you’re still unsure which DBS Check you or your employees are eligible for, this Eligibility Checking Tool can advise you.

Why is eligibility important?

According to the DBS Code of Practice, it is a criminal offence for an application to be processed for the wrong level of DBS check, therefore it is extremely important that the applicant is eligible for the level they are applying for.

Asking these questions means we’re able to categorise an application correctly and avoid applications being queried and/or rejected by the DBS, therefore avoiding any unnecessary delays for you or your employees.

Our promise

We help to ensure you’re purchasing the correct level of DBS check, aiding in speeding up the application process to help ensure all applications are sent to the DBS for processing within 24 hours of being submitted to us.

At Personnel Checks we take pride in an extremely low error rate in the applications we submit. Currently, we have less than 0.1% of ‘potentially ineligible applications’ we submit to the DBS and continually strive to keep that number as low as possible.

For more information about anything in this article, or, how our screening solutions can help you, get in touch! You can give us a call on 01254 355688 or drop us an email at letstalk@personnelchecks.co.uk

The Ultimate Guide to DBS Eligibility