While the DBS check is quite a relevant requirement in this day and age especially with the changes that are taking place across the UK, people should apply for one and have the details ready to increase their chances of getting through the process.
The Coronavirus made some radical changes in the UK, and no one expected them to have such an adverse effect on the happenings in the country. During the initial days of the pandemic, with the virus spreading faster than anything at the time, the Government went through a national lockdown with shops and businesses shut and people forced to stay indoors. People were working remotely, attending their work and client meetings over the phone or through virtual platforms, and meeting their deadlines without leaving their houses.
Not all businesses could meet the remote working requirements set in place with many industries requiring to work in person like within the part time hospitality jobs industry, construction jobs industry, and in the regular utility department. Since healthcare and vehicle repairs were declared essential services by the Government throughout the pandemic, people working in those fields of work had to come into their work stations. Most businesses had no choice but to wait for the authorities to lift restrictions so they could function properly. Even hiring was becoming challenging since only essential services were allowed to function while the rest of the services stuck for a bit since they had to keep opening and closing their businesses.
With so many people losing their jobs and the unemployment rate in the country reaching an all-time high, employers wanted to make sure that they received all the information about their prospective hires to make an informed decision about them. There were a large number of people across the UK, not looking to join the workforce because of the pandemic, waiting for the job markets to stabilise.
One of the most common checks that employers were using was the DBS system which was the most efficient. Additionally, the entire process was coordinated online, which made it convenient, especially during the time of the Coronavirus lockdowns. Background checks were becoming quite common, and making sure that the person they were hiring did not have a criminal record was another requirement for most of the positions that they were applying for.
To assist even further, they created a new system called the DBS Update Service, where people could choose to apply for the annual subscription of the document. After applying for a DBS check, the person would receive a DBS certificate which does not have an expiration date. The only challenge when it comes to the DBS certificate is that it is only valid up until the date that it was applied. Post that date, there could be new information on the certificate, which could significantly change the outcome. Employers could only go through the DBS checks if they received permission from the applicant. There were instances where the applicant would not want them to get through the process.
When applying for most of the job positions out there, the employer was sure to ask for a recent DBS certificate which would ideally be in the range of six months to a year. There were jobs where the details might not have been very relevant for the post so they could provide information that might have been valid for a lot longer, until three years.
With the changes taking place across various industries throughout the pandemic, almost all companies and businesses had to adapt if they wanted to continue running. The same went for DBS checks which also went through some significant changes. They changed a few of the rules within the UK to make sure they could still assist and cater to the people who needed them the most.
The healthcare industry in the UK was burdened, and they were constantly searching for all the help that they could get. One of the major challenges was that there was no cure for the virus, and were a lot of people reported as sick from the virus, which meant that the numbers were increasing. The country needed all the help that they could get so the DBS check system introduced a fast track process where they would go through the names, by running them against the child and adult barred list to make sure they did not show up there. After that, they would allow them to begin working while the DBS went through the rest of the checks. If there were any issues with the rest of the information, they could get them to stop working at the place.
Employers were not allowed to randomly go through the DBS check for any person they wanted to. They needed a reason to go through it and were allowed to run the check if they were planning on hiring the people they were running the background check on or if they were already working for them.
People had to keep their paper copy of their DBS certificate since getting another one was quite challenging. There was an online process that allowed them to apply for one, but they would have to already have an account on the DBS website. Otherwise, they would have to create an account and provide information about their previous DBS check and could get a copy of their certificate.
Some of the DBS checks took more time than others since there were multiple departments and offices that they had to coordinate with if they wanted all the information. Additionally, there are four different types of DBS checks and depending on the job requirements, applicants can apply for these checks. Employers now had to specify these requirements when they were asking people to get through the DBS check, and accordingly, they would need some time to receive the information. Some of the DBS checks are run for managerial positions of power, while others are to find out about individuals working with specific groups of people.
