Hi Sheila.
I just wanted to ask if I would need a new DBS check as I am on the update service and have just renewed my DBS subscription. My DBS is an Enhanced DBS.
Kind Regards
Dear P,
Your question came at a very opportune moment. The information below appeared in a CQC newsletter the week before last. You don’t state what role you are in or if you are applying for registration, however, this is what the CQC said:
Changes to DBS Certificate Validity Period
Individuals applying for registration currently have to provide a CQC countersigned DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) certificate that has a six-month validity period. Following feedback from providers on burden and cost, we have extended the validity period to 12 months. This came into effect on 16 October 2017.
Please note that the changes will still allow the CQC to request a six-month DBS certificate should there be any safeguarding concerns.
Visit our website for more information on DBS checks.
If you are starting a new job and this is why you may need a new DBS check, I think you will find the answer to your question in the briefing paper on the CQC website.
Section 31 of this document answers your questions:
31 Can DBS checks be used for more than one job application? (this is sometimes referred to as portability)
Depending on their role and activities, new entrants to the workforce in services regulated by CQC are expected to obtain a new DBS check where eligible.
People taking up a new position who are currently working in services regulated by CQC can satisfy the expectation that they will have an appropriate DBS check if they can provide evidence of a check, at the right level for their role, that is less than three months old at the point of application.
People supplied by an employment agency can satisfy the expectation that they will have an appropriate DBS check if they can provide evidence of a check, at the right level for their role, that is less than 12 months old.
The portability section of the DBS page on the gov.uk website describes some of the risks and limitations of portability.
Where people take up a new role or go to a new location but stay with the same employer with no break in service, a new DBS check is not necessary provided that a check has previously been obtained at the appropriate level. Some examples where this applies include:
• A care assistant employed by a large corporate provider moves from working in care home A to care home B
• A consultant with practising privileges who has been checked to work in independent hospital A also starts working in hospital B, which is part of the same group of hospitals owned by the organisation running hospital A
The DBS will launch the Update Service on 17 June 2013. The Update Service will allow the applicant (the person whom the check is about) to apply for a DBS check only once and then, if they subsequently need a further check of the same type, to use their existing certificate. To do this, the applicant would have to subscribe to the Update Service and pay an annual subscription fee. The organisation employing them would, with the person’s consent, be able to check online to see if the information on their certificate was still up to date. The intention is to avoid many repeat applications. See the DBS section of the gov.uk website for further details.
With best wishes,
Sheila
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