DBS Checks & Criminal Record Checks

Care Check is a leading umbrella body for the Disclosure and Barring Service and has been named one of the top 8 providers for criminal record checks in the UK.

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DBS Checks For Recruitment Agencies

What Information Is On An Enhanced DBS Check?

The majority of people are familiar with the term “DBS Check“. The Disclosure and Barring Service check allows employers to ensure potential employees’ credibility by checking their criminal history for cautions, warning, reprimands and convictions.

For those applying for jobs where an enhanced DBS is required, it’s natural to want to know what might surface. So let’s go through exactly what can or may show up in a report:

What Does An Enhanced DBS Check Show?

An Enhanced disclosure check shows full details of a person’s criminal record such as cautions, reprimands, warnings, spent and unspent convictions. The check also searches the DBS Children’s Barred List or the DBS Adult First checks where appropriate to ensure the applicant is not banned from working with either group.

Local police can also add any information about a person that is relevant to their application.

For each conviction, the following information is included:

  • Date of conviction
  • Court details
  • Offence details
  • Date of offence
  • Sentence given 

In addition, police hold the right to include any additional information on file that they see as relevant to the check.

Will A Caution Show On An Enhanced Disclosure?

A question we are often asked is whether cautions are unsurfaced in an enhanced disclosure check. In short, all Disclosure and Barring Service checks will display any unspent convictions or cautions. 

In previous years, all convictions and cautions were displayed on your enhanced DBS check before the law changed in 2013. Today, certain types of convictions or cautions are subject to filtering and won’t appear on your enhanced disclosure check. Meanwhile, some offences will always appear (click here for the list). For all other cautions, whether or not they appear on your DBS certificate is dependent on a variety of factors.

DBS Checks & Criminal Record Checks

Can I Apply For An Enhanced DBS Check For Myself?

An individual cannot apply for an enhanced DBS check on themselves. Instead, an employer must request the check, but only if the role is eligible. For example, an enhanced check cannot be taken on a retail or office worker if their environment does not include children or vulnerable adults. An employer must also seek consent before applying for an enhanced disclosure check on an individual.

Individuals may only apply for a basic DBS check.

If you are unsure of the DBS check level required for a role or have uncertainties in what type of check your current and future employees need, we at Care Check will be glad to advise you. For your enquiries, contact us on 0333 777 8575 or email us at info@carecheck.co.uk.

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