Safeguarding and DBS

Information for Job Applicants – Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups, including children.

Please read this important information:

Making Safeguarding Referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
On 1 December 2012, the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) merged to form a new organization. This is called the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The legal duty to make referrals remains; however, referrals should now be addressed to the DBS.

If you dismiss or remove a person from regulated activity because they have been proved through a Safeguarding Adults enquiry or disciplinary action to have harmed or posed a risk of harm to a child or adult at risk from harm, then you have a LEGAL duty to refer the person to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The role of the Disclosure and Barring Service is to keep adults at risk and/or children and young people safe by making barring decisions about people who are referred to it (usually following an employer’s disciplinary process). The possible outcome of this is that the person is barred from working or volunteering with children and/or adults at risk.

The DBS uses a fair, thorough and consistent process that ensures that the decision it reaches is both proportionate and appropriate to the risk the person poses to children or adults at risk. This means that quality and clarity of recording and decision-making are critical, as they are required to facilitate DBS decision-making.


Exemption Orders to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 permit us to ask you to tell us about all convictions or cautions on your application form. You are obliged to tell us.

Under the Disclosure & Barring Service Scheme, we will need to check that you are not barred from working or having contact with Vulnerable Groups, including Children. Currently we will discover this from an application by you for an Enhanced DBS check for Regulated Activity, which we will arrange for you.

If you are already barred from working with either Children or Vulnerable Groups, we cannot by law employ you for this post, and you will commit an offence by making an application.