3.2 Eligibility
The eligibility criteria for a DBS vetting check is unfortunately a lot more complicated than for other overseas vetting checks. The criteria can be found in full on their website but we have tried to summarise it below.
The information has been laid out below in more detail but if you want to quickly check an applicant’s eligibility you can do so using either the DBS Eligibility Tool or the Safeguarding Questionnaires.
IMPORTANT NOTE: It is not legal for the Diocesan Safeguarding Team to apply for a certain type of DBS vetting check ‘just in case’ someone might increase their role duties or frequency in the future, so it is important to answer the questions according to the role and frequency the applicant is currently undertaking.
Types of DBS Vetting Check
There are four types of DBS vetting check that are offered by DBS – Basic, Standard, Enhanced and Enhanced plus Barred List Check. For our purposes, the Enhanced and Enhanced plus Barred List Check are the only two that the Diocesan Safeguarding Team request, depending on the role and the frequency that the role is being carried out.
Type of Role
There are several different options that need to be considered when putting someone through for a DBS vetting check, most of these are relation to the duties of the role that are being carried out and the frequency of that role.
Some of the questions that need to be considered are as follows:
1. Which workforce will the applicant be working with?
- Child
- Adult
- Child and Adult
For further details please see this page of the DBS website.
2. What specific duties will they be carrying out?
- Will they be working directly with one (or both) of the above people groups or are they supervising someone who does?
Will the role include any sort of health care or relevant personal care e.g. toileting or feeding where the person is unable to do this for themselves?
3. How frequently will the applicant be undertaking the role?
If working with children will the person be working:
- on more than 3 days in a 30-day period?
- overnight between the hours of 2am and 6am with opportunity for face to face contact with children?
If the applicant is conducting any form of health or personal care, they only need to do it once to be eligible for an Enhanced with Barred List Check.
If working with vulnerable adults:
is the applicant undertaking any of the duties listed in this document?
It is important to note that they only need to do any one of these activities once.
4. Are they in Regulated Activity?
A person is considered to be in Regulated Activity if they are carrying out their role frequently (as defined above) or extensively.
If you need further guidance about what qualifies as ‘Regulated Activity’ please see the DBS Guidance Leaflets. (These are from a UK perspective, but the information can still be useful.)
