Inside: Where to start with Understanding the Different Levels of DBS checks. Collaborative post.
Criminal background checks have become increasingly common in the modern world of employment. They provide employers with an easy tool to help ensure that they can maintain a safe, respectful workplace, while making it easier for regulators to maintain high standards.
It can, however, be difficult to navigate this oftentimes confusing sector, with its confusing terms and regulatory requirements. For some clarification on the basics, read on to understand the different levels of DBS checks.
What are DBS checks?
In the UK, criminal background checks are carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service, or DBS for short – the non-department government body responsible for providing this service.
While other certifications are available, the DBS is the main body with extensive access to police and other criminal databases, meaning that most checks are carried out through them.
What are the different levels?
There are three different levels of DBS checks: the basic check, the standard check, and the enhanced check.
Basic check
The basic check is the simplest and least intrusive check offered by the DBS. It only looks for spent criminal convictions, warnings and reprimands, and it’s comparatively unregulated, meaning it can be requested in a wide range of different situations.
The basic check is often requested as part of the recruitment process for a number of roles, from sales assistants to bar servers. Individuals can also request to have a basic check carried out on themselves, so that they have one ready to show when they apply to jobs.
Standard check
The standard check is one step up from the basic check, and includes a search for both spent and unspent criminal convictions, warnings and reprimands. Unlike the basic check, the standard check is regulated, meaning that it can only be requested for certain roles in certain industries, and must normally be requested through a service such as Personnel Checks.
These roles typically include those with a high professional standard, which includes access to sensitive data, such as roles in the financial and legal niches.
Enhanced check
The highest level DBS check is the enhanced check. In addition to looking for spent and unspent criminal convictions, warnings and reprimands, the enhanced check will also include any bits of background information that the police think would be relevant to the role that’s being applied for.
As with the standard check, the enhanced check is regulated, and can only be requested for specific roles. These often consist of roles that include unsupervised access to vulnerable individuals or information, including roles in the healthcare and education sectors.
The enhanced check can also be carried out with a barred list check. This will make sure that the individual in question isn’t on any lists that would bar them from working with certain groups of people or kinds of information, such as children or financial data.
With only three main levels of checks, it shouldn’t take too long to understand the ins and outs of DBS checks. That being said, it’s still often necessary to work in collaboration with a background check expert, so you can make sure that you maintain regulatory compliance at all times.