When undergoing a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, it is natural for any potential candidate to be concerned about the type of information that will be printed on their certificate. Some warnings and convictions may be “protected” and “filtered”, meaning they are not disclosed in standard or improved DBS controls. However, they are not “deleted” or “erased” from police records. The best way to explain the filtering process is to say that information is released based on the “need to know it”.
What appears on a DBS certificate will depend on several factors. A standard DBS check includes details of convictions and warnings registered with the Police National Computer (PNC). An enhanced DBS check is the highest level of disclosure available and includes the details listed in PNC, as well as a check of the list of prohibited persons for adults and children. Warnings, reprimands and admonitions from young people will not be automatically included in a standard or enhanced DBS certificate.
An improved DBS check will include certain information about you that appears in local police records, if the police deem it relevant. Whether or not a reprimand or conviction is revealed through a DBS check will depend on the type and age of the crime. The Disclosure and Barring Service has officially approved Clear Check Ltd as the organization responsible for processing DBS controls. There is a list of crimes that will always be indicated in a standard or enhanced DBS certificate (unless they are related to a juvenile admonition). However, minor issues unrelated to the job in question are likely to be left out of a DBS certificate, even at an advanced level.
