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Safeguarding
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DBS Checks - Participants in volunteering projects

A DBS Check (‘DBS’ stands for ‘Disclosure and Barring Service’) is a way for the University to check whether you have a criminal record. The check will be made because it is legally required for what you are intending to do. While the disclosure of a criminal conviction would not necessarily preclude you from participating in your project, you will first be required to attend a meeting with the University’s Lead DBS Signatory and Deputy Lead Safeguarding Officer Mr Sam Dale (Director of Student Experience), or his nominee.

Find out more

What is a DBS check and how do I know if I need one?  

There are different types of DBS checks, basic, standard, and enhanced. Almost always the University makes an enhanced DBS check, which means the check shows information held by local police that is considered relevant to the role, as well as the usual spent and unspent convictions and cautions. 

Any information which comes as part of the disclosure will be treated in confidence and handled in a fair and transparent way.  

Further information regarding the checks undertaken when you apply for a DBS Certificate is available to accessed below.

DBS Filtering Guide
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Obtaining a DBS Certificate

Please contact the organiser of your volunteering project. The organiser will explain to you the process for obtaining a DBS Check for the volunteering project. 

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What ID can I bring?

This website provides details of the documents that are required to prove your identity for the DBS checking process: 

ID checking guidelines for Standard/Enhanced DBS check applications from 22 April 2025 - GOV.UK. 

The website is long, but we expect most students to be able to prove their identity via Route 1.

Please note that DBS requires us to keep a record of the documents used to validate each identity for a minimum of 2 years. Your information will be securely held and deleted after two years. 

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Portability

Portability is the re-use of a DBS Disclosure for a position in another organisation. The DBS has clarified that it will not facilitate the portability of Disclosures and that organisations using portability do so at their own risk. Major limitations for re-using a Disclosure include:  

  • An offence may have occurred since the Disclosure was issued.  
  • The Disclosure may not be at the level to which we require to check our staff/students (i.e. enhanced level). 
  • The original may not include checks of the ISA Adults Barred and/or ISA Children Barred lists.  
  • The applicant's copy of the Disclosure will not state if any additional information was provided by the Police.  

For these reasons the University's policy is not to accept Disclosures from other institutions unless an individual has also signed up to the DBS Update Service (see below).  

It is also Durham's policy not to share Disclosures with other organisations and all information provided should remain confidential and disclosed to authorised personnel only; unauthorised disclosure is an offence.

Update Service

To help reduce the need for requesting multiple DBS checks, the DBS Update Service allows applicants the chance to keep their DBS certificate up to date online and allows employers to check a certificate online. Subscription costs £16 per year and is suitable for applicants who may be required to carry out multiple checks, thus avoiding the need to request to share disclosure information. For further advice on what the service is and how to subscribe please visit: DBS Update Service - GOV.UK.

 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Further information

Any information which comes as part of the disclosure will be treated in confidence and handled in a fair and transparent way. Further information regarding the checks undertaken when you apply for a DBS Certificate is available to access here.

DBS Guide