Understanding the 5 Stages of Enhanced DBS Checks

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has published a guide that provides a comprehensive overview of the fourth stage of the DBS verification process and delves into the role of the police in it. If a request has been in phase 4 for 60 days, it can be referred to the DBS. After that, it can only be escalated every 10 business days. Furthermore, applicants can contact their local police to process their application as often as they desire.

It is beneficial to be aware of what is happening in the background at each stage of the DBS verification process. The organization that submits the DBS application must explicitly request that it be checked against the list of prohibited persons if the applicant will be engaged in a regulated activity. If a standard or enhanced DBS check is requested, the request is sent securely and electronically to the local police for further verification. This type of DBS verification involves checking the applicant against a collection of prohibited lists maintained by the DBS.

Standard and enhanced DBS certificates will indicate convictions, cautions or warnings issued or pending and that are not subject to filtering, along with any other relevant information held by the applicant's local police for enhanced checks. Once all the information has been checked and completed, all 5 stages of the DBS verification will be completed and the DBS certificate will be ready for printing. All the information that must appear on the certificate is printed and sent directly to the applicant if it is a standard or enhanced DBS check. The first stage of the DBS application process involves acknowledging that the DBS has received and validated the application. This is the final stage of the DBS verification process and involves sending hard copies of the completed certificate to both the requesting organization and the applicant. The data from the DBS request is checked against banned lists of children or adults to search for matches.

The applicant will then need to show their DBS certificate to their employer who requested the DBS verification. It is up to the police to decide what information, if any, to provide in response to an enhanced DBS check. The fifth stage of an enhanced DBS check is an important part of ensuring that employers are hiring trustworthy individuals who have no criminal record or history of misconduct. It is essential for employers to understand each step of this process in order to ensure that they are making informed decisions when hiring new employees. By understanding each stage of an enhanced DBS check, employers can make sure that they are hiring trustworthy individuals who have no criminal record or history of misconduct.