DBS Update Service Status Checks

Master the DBS Update Service and reduce the time and money you spend on DBS Checks throughout the year. Personnel Checks guides your applicants through their Update Service registration and then automates Status Checks to keep you informed. It’s simple, do less, spend less, stay compliant.

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What are Status Checks?

A Status Check is when you access the DBS Update Service to check the status of a registered DBS Certificate. This is free to do via the Update Service website, takes around 5 minutes and can be done at any time.

As long as you have seen that individual’s original DBS Certificate, Status Checks essentially remove the need to carry out DBS Checks on your employees ever again.

By leveraging the Update Service you can save yourself a significant amount of time and money.

Managing Status Checks with Personnel Checks

Partnering with Personnel Checks for your Status Checks gives you all the benefits of the Update Service, without having to build your own platform to manage it.

With Personnel Checks you can:

Customise your applicants’ DBS Application journey to guide them through Update Service registration.
Automate Status Checks at a frequency that suits you.
Be notified if any of your employees’ DBS information has changed.

Personnel Checks offers the DBS Update Service feature as a standalone product. This means, even if you don’t do your DBS Checks via our platform, you can still import Update Service information and manage Status Checks within the platform.

For just £6 per person each year, you can rest easy knowing that you have all the information you need to protect your business, your employees, and the public.

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How to Manage Multiple Update Service Status Checks

Even though a Status Check only takes a few minutes, it soon adds up in businesses with a high headcount.

The DBS provide access to their Multiple Status Check facility as a solution. Organisations using this service can access it anytime and conduct unlimited Status Checks at no charge.

However, to access this service, you or your organisation need to develop a platform to access this service. This makes access to multiple Status Checks prohibitive for most.

How the status checks work

Step 1: Application

Individuals complete their DBS application and receive their reference number.
Step 2: Registration

Individuals register their certificate details using the reference number or DBS certificate number to the DBS Update Service.
Step 3: Status Checks

Personnel Checks automatically run Status Checks at intervals pre-configured by you.
Step 4: Notifications

Receive notifications as and when any information about an employee’s DBS certificate has changed.

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What is the DBS Update Service?

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Update Service is a digital subscription which allows Standard or Enhanced DBS Certificate holders to keep their details up-to-date. Employers can carry out Status Checks to view this information instead of completing new DBS Checks.

An annual subscription costs certificate holders £13, and allows them to move their DBS Certificate between roles of the same workforce.

What are the benefits of the DBS Update Service?

The main purpose of the DBS Update Service is to make recruitment easier for employers, in regulated industries. There are many benefits to utilising the DBS Update Service, including:

Instant online checks of DBS Certificates.
No more DBS application forms to fill in.
You may never need to apply for another DBS check for an employee again.
Less admin.
Saves time and money.
Enhances safeguarding processes and can help reduce risk.
Easy to incorporate into your existing suitability decision-making processes.

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Sectors we work with

The DBS Update Service is a valuable tool in any regulated industry, as both a way to save time and money. For more information about the regulated sectors we work with, click the links below:

Why Personnel Checks?

Personnel Checks automated status checks have already been implemented to great effect within large-scale private and public sector organisations. Saving time and money for thousands of people across the UK. As the highest-rated DBS Umbrella Body in the country, you can rely on us to provide the support you need for your recruitment.

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THOUSANDS OF BUSINESSES CHOOSE PERSONNEL CHECKS

DBS Update Service FAQs

Only the holder of a Standard or Enhanced DBS Certificate can register for the Update Service. This means it is also their responsibility to pay for this subscription.
If as an employer, you wanted to reimburse these costs to your employee, this is to be done at your discretion. You cannot pay for the subscription on their behalf.
If you are trying to share Update Service information with your employer, you must first provide explicit consent for them to do so.
Once you have consented, you must provide your employer with your DBS certificate 12-digit reference number, your name and date of birth.
The employer can then go online and carry out a status check on your existing certificate(s).
The DBS Update Service isn’t mandatory from a legal perspective, but in many sectors or organisations, it is compulsory in some way.
For example, taxi and private hire drivers must register for the DBS Update Service as part of their licence application. This is so their licensing authority can carry out regular criminality checks on their drivers.
If they fail to register for the Update Service, they must complete new DBS Checks every 6 months.
You cannot register a Basic DBS Certificate to the DBS Update Service. This service is only available to holders of valid Standard or Enhanced DBS Certificates.
A subscription to the DBS Update Service lasts for one year. This subscription automatically renews, if you have selected this option during registration. The DBS will email you directly to advise you if your subscription is coming to an end, or, if your payment details have expired.
The Update Service costs £13 annually

Even though the Update Service is a valuable tool for employers, the actions you can take to manage the process are limited.
You cannot register or pay for a subscription to the DBS Update Service on behalf of a DBS Certificate holder. This is something that they must do themselves.
If you register for the DBS Update Service, you must retain the original DBS Certificate that you registered with. If you lose or misplace this certificate, your DBS Update Service subscription is invalid and a new DBS Check will be required.
All you need to register for the DBS Update Service is:
- Name
- Gender
- Date of birth
- Email address
- Application form reference, e-reference number or your DBS certificate number
- A payment card for the Update Service fee
You cannot randomly look up individuals on the DBS Update Service. You need consent from the DBS Certificate holder, you need to have seen their original certificate and must have some other personal details before you can look up someone’s details.
If you do view someone’s DBS information without consent or without the proper entitlement, you are breaking the law.
Over time, the DBS Update Service is excellent value for money. But let’s break it down with an example.
Retaining an employee for 10 years in a regulated industry means you’ll pay for at least 2-3 DBS Checks.
The DBS charge £38 for every Enhanced DBS Check submitted. If you’re using an Umbrella Body, you’ll be charged between £10-£50 administration fee.
If we say an Enhanced DBS Check costs you £50, one employee will cost you £150+ over a decade.
If you’re employing 100 people, that’s £15k+ over ten years!
Getting your employees to register for the Update Service could save you a significant amount of time and effort.
As an applicant, it is still good value for money, as you are pre-DBS checked for any job you apply for, and potentially never need to buy another DBS Check.