Apply for a disclosure and barring service check

There are two types of checks:

Standard check

Standard checks contain details of current and spent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings held on the police national computer. Standard checks no longer include a check on the old or new barred lists. Therefore, if you are working or volunteering in regulated activity, an enhanced check will be required.

Enhanced check

Enhanced checks are required for anyone working with children or vulnerable groups. In general, work of this type will involve regularly caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge of vulnerable groups.

Enhanced checks contain the same information as standard checks plus a check on the barred lists, if requested, and locally held police force information considered relevant to the job by chief police officers.

You will get a copy of the certificate through the post (only one copy is issued now, employers no longer receive a copy).

It is important to note that once we send a DBS check to DBS National, the time for the check to come back can vary from days to months. The time taken for the DBS to come back is out of our control. The processing time depends on the level of check, if the details provided are accurate and which/how many police forces need to be involved in the check. It is very common for applications from applicants who have had several name changes or have moved to various addresses to take longer.

Applications cannot be chased or escalated unless they have been at stage four (records held by the police search) for 60 days or more. Applicants can escalate them by using the link you receive in your email once the application has reached 60 days.

A volunteer is a person engaged in any activity that involves spending time, unpaid (except for travelling and other approved out of pocket expenses) doing something to benefit someone other than or in addition to close relatives.

A supervised volunteer carrying out activities under reasonable day-to-day supervision by another person who is also engaging in regulated activity would no longer meet the new definition of regulated activity. In this case, you will only be entitled to an enhanced DBS check without a barred list check.

Anyone on a student placement or work experience does not count as a volunteer, as the work will benefit the individual in terms of experience or qualifications.

Moving from a volunteering role to a paid role

If you have been volunteering for us but have now gained a paid role, a new check needs to be completed. When you move into paid employment, it is assumed there is an increased level of responsibility.

You need to contact WCN, the system provider.

Please email nyccsupport@wcn.co.uk for help with technical difficulties.

If you need advice on the process, please contact us.

Driving licence number error

If you have changed your name recently and have not updated your licence, the personal details that you recorded at the beginning of the application form will not match your driving licence number, and the application will not proceed.

The reason is that the driving licence number is made up of part of your surname and your initials. If you have changed any of your details (including omitting your middle name when applying for your driving licence but including this on your DBS application) the DBS application will fail.

You will need to answer the question on the form 'Do you have a valid driving licence?' with 'No'. This is because the information on the application form does not match the driving licence number.

If you have a middle name and this is not recorded on your driving licence but is included in the information on the application form, you will need to answer the question on the form 'Do you have a valid driving licence?' with 'No'. This is because the information on the application form does not match the driving licence number.

Our DBS online service is fully compliant with the DBS's security requirements which have been fully tested.

All information is retained in compliance with data protection and is dealt with confidentially. To use our online system, you need a personal login to register your details. This is password protected to ensure that it is restricted to you.

All processing of DBS applications and certificates is in accordance with ISO 27001, the DBS code of practice, regulations and the Data Protection Act.

In this fair processing statement, "we", "us" and "our" refers to the North Yorkshire Council resourcing and reward team, based at HR Shared Services, County Hall, Racecourse Lane, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 8AL; "you" and "your" refers to any visitor to our website.

By accessing the website and providing us with your personal details, you agree to accept and be bound by our privacy policy, the key terms of which are non-exhaustively summarised in this fair processing statement.

North Yorkshire Council DBS's online criminal records disclosure application service is an alternative to the paper disclosure application form (DAF). It has been approved for use by the DBS.

All information is stored in a secure environment, compliant with ISO27001. All information is encrypted and submitted to and from DBS via a secure government pathway.

The online process mimics the paper application process. Information submitted is checked for accuracy and forwarded to the National DBS which coordinate the necessary checks, collate information, print and despatch the disclosure.

Data can only be amended by yourself using the email address and password supplied at registration. Therefore, it is important that you keep this information in a secure place.

All organisations using our DBS service are required to sign a service contract. This requires organisations to:

• abide by the DBS Code of Practice which can be viewed on the Home Office website (a copy can be provided upon request)
• abide by the Data Protection Act 2018
• have a policy for the recruitment of ex-offenders and a policy for secure storage, handling, use, retention and disposal of disclosures and disclosure information (a copy can be provided upon request)

All information requested is used solely to produce a criminal record disclosure and is collected, stored and processed by North Yorkshire Council DBS and the DBS in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. We will treat your personal information as confidential and we will not disclose it to any third party except (i) with your prior agreement; (ii) as necessary for providing our DBS online service to you; or (iii) as required by law.

If you are self-employed you cannot apply for a check for yourself. Legally, a self-employed person cannot ask an exempted question of themselves. An employer can ask the exempted question to assess an applicant's suitability. This also applies to self-employed teachers who want to work freelance.

The following options are available:

• a self-employed person can apply for a basic DBS check from Disclosure Scotland. This will provide details of unspent convictions
• an employer can check a self-employed person if they are employing the person in a contract to deliver a service
• when a self-employed person is working for an agency, the agency will need to obtain a DBS check

In most cases you should take your evidence to your line manager.

If you disagree with the results on your certificate, whether it is the accuracy of your personal details or the facts of any conviction, please advise the DBS and your manager immediately.

Further information on how to dispute a DBS result is available on the government’s website.

If you have been a teacher at a school elsewhere and have now gained a job at a North Yorkshire Council school, we cannot accept your previous DBS check. You will need to undertake a new check.

If you have a break in service of three months or more, you must undertake a new DBS check. This complies with Department for Education requirements.