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DBS - England and Wales

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is a non-departmental public body of the Home Office of the United Kingdom and was established in 2012 by merging the functions of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.

The DBS help employers to make safer recruitment decisions each year by processing and issuing DBS checks for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

DBS also maintains the Adults’ and Children’s Barred Lists and decides whether an individual should be included on one or both lists and barred from engaging in regulated activity.

There are four types of DBS checks, and each results in a DBS certificate being issued to an individual. Employers can then ask for the certificate to ensure they recruit suitable people for their organisation.

Our disclosure team process all levels of DBS checks.

DBS Checks

We’ll save you time

Our easy-to-use online DBS system allows your workers to apply for their DBS checks quickly and conveniently. You get real-time reporting on the status and results of checks meaning no delays in getting your workers started.

Dedicated help and support

Our range of on-hand support includes step-by-step help videos and user guides, template forms and policies, fully-searchable online Recruiters manual.

Award-winning Helpline

Our award-winning Disclosure Helpline is staffed by our professional team with on-the-ground experience.

Renewal Reminder Notifications

We send out renewal reminder notifications to help you keep on top of which DBS checks need renewing. 

Eligibility guidance and advice

Our specialist knowledge of eligibility rules means we can help you stay legally compliant when applying for criminal record checks. 

User friendly application forms

Our online DBS application forms are user friendly and easy to complete. The forms are made as simplistic as possible make the process smooth for applicants.

Charity and Faith setting experts

Our specialist knowledge of faith and charity roles means we can help you stay legally compliant when applying for DBS Checks.

Outstanding DBS checks automatically chased

We automatically chase any outstanding applications directly with the DBS (at no extra cost), so you can rest assured that applications will always come back as quickly as possible.

Digital ID checking

Access to digital ID checking for online DBS checks, helping to make faster and safer recruitment decisions.