Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Checks Guidance
Students requiring unsupervised access to children and/or vulnerable adults
1) Introduction
A large number of students going on placement will be working with children or vulnerable adults. Before they can start such work they must have obtained an enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) to establish if they have a criminal record. If a criminal record is revealed then the University will assess the suitability of the student to undertake the placement.
It is essential that these procedures are completed as early as possible during the admissions process. This will avoid the situation arising of a student starting a course of study but being deemed unfit to take the placement when an unfavourable enhanced disclosure is received late. Since placements are a core part of the programme, exclusion from the placement(s) effectively means exclusion from the programme. We have a responsibility to help applicants avoid starting a programme they cannot finish.
2) This guidance applies to:
· New students registering on programmes where it has been agreed that a mandatory enhanced disclosure is required. These programmes will have this requirement included in their specification pages on our website and course information.
· Current students who, during the course of their studies, wish to register for a module which has been identified as requiring a mandatory enhanced DBS disclosure. Again, the DBS requirement will be flagged on the module specification
· There is a £44.00 for carrying out an enhanced DBS Disclosure, which is payable by the student unless otherwise specified. If you are unsure whether you would need to pay the fee yourself, please contact the Applicant Checks Officer as below
3) Identifying applicants requiring DBS clearance
· As sensitive information and payment is required from applicants to make a DBS application we do not ask for this until the applicant has firmly accepted a place on the course.
· However, applicants to courses where DBS clearance is required for placement study who have declared a relevant criminal conviction at the point of application will be asked for further information about this conviction prior to the communication of a formal offer as the details of the conviction may affect our ability to offer a place on the course
· At UEL we sometimes admit students close to the start date of the course. Such students are reminded of their DBS responsibilities at induction and encouraged to discuss any concerns that a criminal conviction may have on their ability to complete the course immediately with the Applicant Checks Officer, either in the enrolment centre or at dedicated School DBS sessions.
· All DBS submissions are logged on a database.
· Module Leaders should remind their students that a DBS clearance must be applied for as early as possible and that they will fail the module if it has a mandatory placement.
· If a student does not respond to a request for a mandatory enhanced DBS Disclosure, they are notified to the School as being non-compliant. The School will then instigate their own procedures for managing these students which may result in withdrawal from the module and/or course.
4) The DBS Form
It is extremely important that the DBS Form is completed as instructed on the front page. The form will be checked for accuracy prior to sending to the DBS and forms which are illegible, incomplete or are not supported by the ID documents specified will be rejected , resulting in a delay at the start of a placement and/or course.
The applicant is required to show original proof of their ID either to the Applicant Checks Officer or nominee (E.g. School Helpdesk staff) who can make and verify copies of these original documents so that the DBS Form can be counter-signed, logged and sent to the DBS for processing.
The Applicant MUST NOT send the DBS form or any documents to the DBS directly.
5) Tracking a DBS Application Form on-line
It is possible for the applicant to check the current stage of a completed DBS application using the secure online DBS portal:
https://secure.crbonline.gov.uk/enquiry/enquirySearch.do
Applicants’ will need their DBS Form Reference number and Date of Birth to access this information.
6) Receipt of disclosures
When the DBS have completed all the necessary checks, they will issue a copy of the Disclosure Certificate to the Applicant. The Applicant must get this validated by the Applicant Checks Officer before they can start a placement.
The Applicant Checks Officer will record the Disclosure Number and Issue Date on the DBS database and School spreadsheets. A record that a check has been carried out for the student will be also be recorded on SITS.
In the event of the applicant being found to have a criminal record, the Applicant Checks Officer will assess whether the information is relevant and needs to be approved before the applicant can admitted to their chosen programme or, in the case of a current student, whether they can register on their chose module.
The Dean of School may be consulted in order for the University to assess whether the offence(s) raise issues of professional suitability, and whether the nature of the offence(s) would pose a possible threat to the safety and welfare of other members of our community. In many cases the criminal record will not be regarded as disqualifying the individual - each application is looked at on its merits and consideration is given to the nature of the offense, sentence given and time elapsed since conviction.
7) Portability (not available to PGCE students)
UEL will accept an existing Enhanced DBS Disclosure that is less than 6 months old provided that we can obtain validation from the original requesting body. A full copy of the existing disclosure is required and a signed consent form from the applicant giving permission for us to write to the Registered Body for validation of the disclosure.
Registered Bodies are not obliged to validate discolures to third parties and if they refuse to do so then the applicant is required to complete and pay for a new check .
8) Further information
For further information please contact:
Lucy Kannenberg
Applicant Checks Officer
Tel. +44 (0) 208 223 6271
Email:
The Guide to Disclosure and Health Screening Procedures is available on our website at -
http://www.uel.ac.uk/marketing/admissions/documents/health-screening.pdf
Updated October 2013
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