Update Service
The Update Service is intended to reduce the number of re-checks that need to be done on employees and volunteers. It allows employers and volunteer coordinators to check if any new information has been added to someone's criminal record since their last Certificate was issued. If no new information has been added, then the Certificate is still valid, and the person won't need checking again.
How to Subscribe You can subscribe to the Update Service, or manage your existing subscription, at the DBS website. Subscription to the Update Service costs £13 per year for paid staff, and is free for volunteers. To subscribe, you will need to have applied for a DBS check on or after the 17th June 2013. If you applied before this date, your Certificate will not be in the Update Service's database, and you will have to get a new Certificate if you want to apply for the Update Service. You will need to know your Application Reference number. This can be found on the front page of your application form, in the top right-hand corner; it begins with the letter F followed by ten numbers (e.g. F0012345678). If you have already sent your application form off and don't know your reference number, we do keep a record of all numbers and can provide them on request. If your Certificate has already been issued, you can also use the Certificate number to subscribe. However, you can only subscribe this way in the first 14 days after the Certificate is issued. The Certificate number can be found in the top right corner of your Certificate, and consists of twelve numbers (e.g. 000123456789). For more information, please see the DBS's official guidance. | Checking an Applicant If someone you employ or who volunteers with you is subscribed to the Update Service, then you can check their status online instantly and for free at the DBS website. Please note that you can only use the Update Service if you would otherwise be legally entitled to request a DBS Disclosure for the individual in question. To check someone, you must first ask for their consent to you doing so, and ask them to show you their DBS Certificate. This is because the Update Service does not reveal details of an individual's criminal record; it only tells you whether anything new has been added since the Certificate was issued. If nothing has been added, then the Certificate is still accurate. If there are new entries to their criminal record, then you will have to ask them to apply for a new Disclosure in order to see them. You will need to know the individual's Certificate number to check their status online. The Certificate number can be found in the top right corner of their Certificate, and consists of twelve numbers (e.g. 000123456789) You will also need to know their surname and date of birth, as they appear on the Certificate. You can check their status as often as you wish. For further information, please see the DBS's official guidance. |
