DBS Checks for Contractors and Trades

Contractors and tradespeople are relied upon by every single industry. This makes DBS Checks essential for many sites you’re contracted to work on. Whether it’s working in a school, hospital, prison, or even a nuclear power plant, DBS Checks need to be in place before you can start work.

Using a fast, reliable and simple DBS provider makes sure you can get on site asap. Click below to find out why thousands of UK contractors and trade businesses trust us for their DBS Checks.

How do I Get DBS Checks for my Contractors?

Applying for a DBS check is a straightforward process. Once you’ve contacted our team, they’ll help you determine the appropriate level of DBS check and get your business set up on our system. This usually takes around 10 minutes.

Once this is done, the contractor is sent an application to complete on our system. This involves confirming their identity online, and then completing the form with their personal information and details of previous convictions if any. Once this is done, we can get the application sent to the DBS for the check to begin!

Get in touch today and we can have your contractors completing their DBS applications in as little as 15 minutes.

What dbs checks Do my contractors Need?

Basic DBS Checks can be carried out by both individuals and employers, for any reason. Standard and Enhanced DBS Checks can only be requested by employers on their staff when they are carrying out 'regulated activity'.

Regulated activity is defined as work or activity that a 'barred' person cannot do. This includes things like working with or around children or working with disabled adults. It is a criminal offence for a barred person to seek to work, or work in, activities from which they are barred.

The type of DBS Check you need ultimately depends on whether or not they are involved in regulated activity. This can be confusing, but our experts are always on hand to assist. Give us a call and we can help you determine what DBS Checks you need.

What are the Three types of DBS Check?

There are three main levels of DBS checks: Basic, Standard, and Enhanced.

  • A Standard DBS Check shows any spent or unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, or final warnings.

  • An Enhanced DBS Check shows all of the above, plus any information deemed relevant by the applicant’s local police force. The Enhanced DBS Check can also include a search of the Children's or Adult's Barred Lists (or both) if relevant to the role.

How it works

  • Step 1: Registration

    Our rapid onboarding process means we can get you set up and ready to process checks in as little as 10-minutes!

  • Step 2: Applications

    Applications are created and completed by your applicants. ID is checked and the forms are submitted to the DBS.

  • Step 3: Screening

    The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) receive the application via our secure portal. They begin the screening process.

  • Step 4: Results Received

    DBS Checks can be completed in as little as 24 hours and confirmation is emailed directly to you.

Contractors in Schools

Contractors visiting a school site during term time more than 3 times in 30 days will be eligible for an Enhanced DBS Check.

Depending on the nature of the work, and whether there is the possibility of unsupervised contact with children, a search of the Children’s Barred List may also be needed.

If work is being carried out at a school when no children are present, contractors would not be eligible for an Enhanced DBS Check.

Common Roles

Contractors in Hospitals

Hospitals have lots of buildings and complex systems that require maintenance. This means there’s a huge variety of contract work involved.

In general, when working on a hospital site contractors require a Standard DBS Check. But there are various situations where other checks are needed.

For example, contractors working specifically in a children’s hospital would require an Enhanced DBS Check. Depending on the nature of the work, this may also require a barred list check.

Contractors in Care Homes

Contractors working on care homes nearly always need an Enhanced DBS Check. This will be no surprise considering they house some of the most vulnerable people in society.

In most cases, a check of the barred lists isn’t required but there are exceptions.

For example, catering contractors are often required to help feed residents. In this case, as they are directly supporting a resident, a check of the Adult’s Barred List becomes necessary.

Unusual scenarios

Sometimes your contract may not fit neatly into one of the above roles, even though you know a DBS Check is required. We are familiar with processing DBS Checks for contractors working for the military, secure psychiatric units, prisons and the nuclear sector. No matter how niche or unusual your contract might be, we’ve probably heard it before.

Our team can help you assess the eligibility of the job role and tell you exactly what DBS Check you need. Click the button below and we could have your DBS applications set up in as little as 10 minutes!

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Frequently Asked Questions

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