Ultimate Guide: Everything you need to know about DBS Certificates
DBS Certificates are an essential part of recruitment in some industries. In this guide, we look at everything you need to know about DBS Certificates in more detail. If there’s some knowledge about DBS Certificates you think we should add, drop us an email! You can find our contact details at the bottom of this guide.
Do DBS Certificates Get Sent to Employers?
DBS Certificates are posted out directly to the named applicant on the DBS Check application form. DBS Certificates are not sent directly to employers. DBS Certificates ultimately contain the personal data of the applicant the DBS Check has been run on. This is why DBS Certificates are sent directly to applicants.
DBS Certificates used to be sent to the DBS Umbrella Body that processed the DBS Check. They would then post it out to the specified party, this could be the employer. This is no longer the case.
How Do DBS Certificates Get Sent Out?
DBS Certificates are posted directly to the applicant named on the DBS check application form. DBS Certificates are posted 2nd class post via Royal Mail. The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) advise that it can take up to 14 days for DBS Certificates to arrive. If a DBS Certificate has not arrived after 14 days have passed since the issue date, you can request a reprint.
How Do I Get a Copy of My DBS Certificate?
The only way you can obtain another copy of a DBS Certificate is if the first DBS Certificate issued never arrived in the post. In this case, applicants can request a reprint of their DBS Certificate. To do this, applicants would need to contact the DBS directly on 0300 0200 190 and request a reprint to be posted out to them.
Other than this specific situation, additional copies of DBS Certificates cannot be obtained.
When Do DBS Certificates Expire?
DBS Certificates have no specific expiration date. The information provided on a DBS Certificate is correct at the time of its issue. This is why many organisations will only accept a DBS Certificate that has been issued within a certain time frame.
Many industries have specific guidance about how regularly new DBS Checks should be carried out. This is to ensure that the DBS Certificate information that an employer has seen in the most up to date record. This is also why people are encouraged to register their DBS Certificate to the DBS Update Service.
DBS Certificates and the DBS Update Service
Signing up for the DBS Update Service is a useful way to make sure that you do not need to complete another DBS Check. For a subscription to the DBS Update Service to be valid, applicants need to retain the original DBS Certificate that was issued. Employers must have seen this DBS Certificate before accepting DBS Update Service information. If a DBS Certificate cannot be provided in support of this, the subscription to the DBS Update Service is invalid and cannot be accepted in support of a job application.
Can Employers Keep DBS Certificates?
Employers should never keep hold of original DBS Certificates. If employers want to keep a copy of a DBS Certificate, they can do so only with the applicant's explicit written consent. This consent should be updated every 6 months.
Employers are allowed and should keep the following information on record, if they have a statutory obligation to carry out DBS Checks:
The date of issue of a disclosure
The name of the subject
The type of disclosure requested
The position for which the disclosure was requested
The unique reference number of the disclosure
The details of the recruitment decision taken
Once a recruitment (or other relevant) decision has been made, organisations should not keep disclosure information for any longer than is absolutely necessary. In line with the Data Protection Act 1998, any education provider needs a formal written policy on the secure handling of any information provided (electronically or otherwise).
For more information about anything in this article, or, how our screening solutions can help you, get in touch! You can give us a call on 01254 355688 or drop us an email at letstalk@personnelchecks.co.uk