Dorset County Council hit the headlines recently when it emerged that their DBS checks weren’t up to scratch. Auditors flagged up serious failings across several areas of the organisation. So what has been going on, and how could it affect other areas?
What the Auditors Found
All county councils in the UK are inspected by independent auditors. The auditors look at all aspects of the Council’s work. As part of a recent check, auditors looked at record keeping around DBS checking on Council volunteers working in certain positions. The Council allowed volunteers to start work before their checking was completed. Furthermore, in other situations, no checks were done at all. The audit company has asked Dorset County Council to review their DBS checking process. Another audit will be carried out in November to check that processes have been tightened up.DBS Checks – What Should Happen?
It was easy for auditors to identify problems at Dorset County Council because the process should be very simple. The types of roles which need DBS checks are laid down by law. Anyone applying for a role – whether paid or voluntary – in one of those rules should go through the DBS checking process. The Council should keep records confirming when checks were submitted, when the certificate was received and when checks need to be repeated. It was found that Dorset was failing to do any of this on some occasions, with as many as a third of DBS checks never being done.Applying for a Job Requiring a DBS Check
The good news is that if you’re the person applying for a position, it’s not your job to get things right. The person in charge of the recruitment has that responsibility. Usually, job adverts will state whether or not you’ll need a disclosure check. If not, you’ll be told at interview. Your new employer might ask you to wait until you get your certificate before starting work. There are three main steps to applying for a DBS checks, and Dorset Council were found to be failing at each one.Steps in getting a DBS check
- First, the employer must make sure that they are putting the right people forward to have checks done. Applicants fill in a form, either online or on paper. The form asks for basic identity details such as all previous names, date of birth and address.
- Establish identity. The body which is applying for the DBS then has to see paperwork proving the applicant’s identity and address. They usually do this by asking for originals of passport, driving licence, utility bills or bank statements.
- Checks are processed. Once the form is with the DBS, they’ll check it over to make sure that everything is in order. It then goes off to various police forces across the country for checking. Some areas are quicker than others in processing checks. Eventually, a certificate is printed and sent out in the post. The applicant then shows the certificate to the employer, who records that they’ve seen it.