Disclosure and Barring Service FAQs

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Home Office which was established under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and started operating on 1 December 2012.

It helps organisations and employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children.

The DBS carries out the functions previously undertaken by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) for England and Wales and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A volunteer is defined as a 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 other than or in addition to a close relative. That it is not part of a course that will lead to paid employment. It is important to ensure you are selecting the correct volunteer status when setting up a DBS check.

This is the highest level of check available to anyone involved in regularly caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge of children or vulnerable adults. Enhanced Disclosures contain the same information as the Standard Disclosure but with the addition of any relevant and proportionate information held by the local police forces.

An Enhanced DBS disclosure is a record of all warnings, reprimands, cautions and convictions from local and national police records. Information may also be disclosed at the discretion of the Chief Police Officer if that information is deemed relevant to the role the individual is applying for.

Swim England Carries out two types of enhanced disclosures, an enhanced disclosure only and an enhanced disclosure with a check against the child barred list. To find out which enhanced disclosure is required for a specific role please refer to page 75 of our Wavepower document

We only accept basic DBS checks for master’s clubs. These are required for coach, teacher and welfare officer roles. If you are a club working with under 18s then you will need to carry out enhanced DBS checks.

Any individuals wishing to work with children or adults at risk are required to undertake an enhanced disclosure or an enhanced disclosure with a barred list check.

A Barred List check is a legal requirement for all individuals applying to work in Regulated Activity. This check will show whether an individual is barred from working with children or adults at risk. (Adult barred list check can only be applied for in specific circumstances)

The Protection of Freedoms Act has amended the definition of Regulated Activity with the intention of fewer individuals being classified as in Regulated Activity and therefore fewer people legally required to be checked.

Examples of regulated activities are:

1. Teaching and training: Including teachers, coaches, and instructors.
2. Care and supervision: Such as probation officers, childminders, and youth workers.
3. Advice and guidance: Like careers advisors and those offering support to children.
4. Healthcare: Including doctors and nurses.
5. Personal care: Such as assisting with dressing or washing.
6. Transportation: Like school bus driver.

An enhanced DBS check with barred list check is required for any regulated activity that takes place on four or more days in a 30 day period.

Further information on roles that require a DBS can be found in Wavepower.

In accordance with DBS guidance no officials will require a DBS check. This is because officials are generally not required in their role to take part in regulated activity.

If a child approaches an official to ask a question or request assistance they should be directed to the appropriate coach, poolside helper or chaperone. If an official needs to speak to a child this should always be done through or with the child’s coach so the opportunity for the official to have one to one or group contact is not present.

DBS do not make their checks compulsory. However, it is a condition of affiliation to Swim England (be it a club or other body that affiliates to Swim England) to accept our procedure that all members working closely with children or vulnerable adults and could find themselves in a one-one situation do complete the necessary checks.

As a member of an affiliated club or other body, individual members are automatically bound under Swim England Regulations to comply with the Swim England’s DBS checking process BUT it is only required if an individual wants to take up a role which requires a DBS check. If an individual is unwilling to do so, they must not be used by the club in any role that requires a DBS as stated in Wavepower or in a specified role in adult only/masters clubs.

With the introduction of the Protection of Freedoms Act Swim England has introduced a new DBS online service provided by our partners First Advantage.

All DBS applications should now be made through the online service. All club Welfare Officers and Swim Schools have been sent information on activating their online service. If you have not received this, please contact [email protected].

Swim England is no longer accepting DBS paper applications unless prior agreement has been sort from the Swim England DBS Coordinator.

An average DBS check made through the online service takes 2 weeks. Until such time as clearance is confirmed by Swim England (An email is sent to the welfare officer/secretary to confirm clearance) that individual will not be able to undertake the role applied for.

• Paid roles in clubs- £60 per application, or sign up to the update service to bring this down to £16 per year.
• Volunteer roles in clubs - Free for the first DBS check - we'll cover the £5.85 fee. For DBS renewals (required every three years), the cost will be £5.85 per check. However, volunteers can sign up for free via the Government's Update Service.

DBS checks have no period of validity as the information on the Disclosure is a snap shot in time at the date that the checks were completed and must be seen as just one part of a safe recruitment process.

However, Swim England require clubs to renew members DBS checks every three years as long as they remain in a role that requires a DBS as stated in Wavepower. It is advised to renew in the third year, rather than let it run out.

With the introduction by the DBS of the Update Service any applications receiving their Disclosure Certificates after the 17th June 2013 can now register with the Update Service. This will allow DBS Certificates to be reused when applying for similar jobs within the same workforce, child workforce, adult workforce or child and adult workforce and reduce the burden of red tape on employers.

This subscription service lets individuals keep their DBS Certificates up-to-date so they can take it with them when they move jobs or roles. Individuals will need to provide Swim England with consent to check the update service, we are not automatically notified of those individuals who have signed up for the service.

Those applicants that are not registered with the Update Service, their application isn’t of the required level or workforce (i.e. enhanced or enhanced with barred list), will be required to complete a new DBS application via Swim England.

One of the government’s priorities is to overhaul the criminal records regime to give individuals greater control of their own information, allow DBS Certificates to be reused when applying for similar jobs within the same workforce, child workforce, adult workforce or child and adult workforce and reduce the burden of red tape on employers.

This new subscription service lets individuals keep their DBS Certificate up-to-date so they can take it with them when they move jobs or roles. Individuals have 30 days from the issue date of the DBS certificate to register it with the update service.

For a small annual subscription of just £16 (free for volunteers) applicants can have their DBS Certificate kept up-to-date and take it with them from role to role, within the same workforce, where the same type and level of check is required.

Benefits to applicants:

1. Saves applicants time and money.
2. One DBS Certificate is all applicants may ever need.
3. Take their DBS Certificate from role to role within the same workforce.
4. Applicants are in control of their DBS Certificate
5. Get ahead of the rest and apply for jobs DBS pre-checked.

Applicants can join the Update Service online at www.gov.uk/dbs.

Further information on this service including Applicants Guidance can be found at www.gov.uk/dbs.

If you wish for Swim England to check your DBS on the update service and add the DBS to your record, then you will need to complete a consent form which is linked below.

Download the consent form

If the DBS registered with the update service was carried out via Swim England, then the consent form is all we need.

However, if the DBS registered with the update service was carried out by an external organisation, then we will also need to see the original DBS certificate. This will need to be posted to us along with the consent form. We recommend this is sent via recorded delivery.

Yes. If you think there is an error with your DBS check or you do not agree with any of the information then please call DBS directly on 03000 200 190. Disputes must be raised with the DBS within three months of the date of issue of the Disclosure.

No. All your club memberships will be attached to your record. We can send confirmation letters to any of the other clubs if requested to, but the original confirmation will go to the club that requested the application. If the DBS you had carried out through one Swim England club is the right level of check for your role at the other Swim England club then your DBS can be used for both clubs.

The Welfare Officer of the club. If they are not available any other Club Officer (i.e. Club Secretary, Chairperson or Treasurer) can check these if they have been set up as a verifier and have been added onto the clubs Online Membership System. Original identification documents must be produced.

Your personal information will only be seen by those whose jobs require them to do so. Put simply, only the necessary DBS staff at Swim England head office making the checks in order for you to receive clearance.

Do not send your ID into Swim England; we do not check your documents. They need to be taken to the Welfare Officer or Club Secretary of the club requesting the DBS in order for their sections of the online application can be completed.

If you require further information please contact [email protected]/01509 640727. Alternatively you may wish to contact the DBS helpline on 03000 200 190 or visit their website at www.gov.uk/dbs. Please also refer to the DBS’s Code of Practice, which can also be found on their website.

Yes, Swim England can provide a Child Protection List to Club Welfare Officers (of their club members only). This will show any registered club members that have an enhanced DBS disclosure certificate, these will show as ‘DBS Cleared’ on the list. (Please contact [email protected] to request this). If registered club members are missing from your club list or amendments are required, please email [email protected] with full details.

You need to be aged 16 and over and be in a role that requires a DBS to have one carried out.

The club will need to contact [email protected] to request new verifiers are added to the system. We are only able to set up those listed in club officer roles on the Online Membership System (OMS).

Yes, you should only carry out DBS checks for those people who are registered as members of the club. We will be unable to confirm clearance of the DBS check until they have been registered.

Once a DBS has been submitted to the DBS to be processed, we are unable to change the level of check. A new DBS would need to be submitted with the correct level of check.

If their previous DBS check is the right level of check for their new role then there is no need to carry out a new DBS check until the current one expires. E.g. Chaperone to Coach. However, if their previous DBS check is not the right level of check then they will need to have new DBS check carried out under their new role. E.g. Poolside Helper to Team Manager.

If any of the details do not match those inputted by the applicant, then you can either change the ID documents yourself as a verifier or you can reject the application back to the applicant to make the changes. Once the changes have been made you can then verify the application.