Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the safeguarding risks posed by (a) DBS certificates not automatically updating after issue and (b) the current DBS system in general.

Criminal record certificates issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) have a vital role to play in reducing the risk of harm but should always be used as part of an organisation’s broader safeguarding practices and policies, including for example taking up references from previous employers.

Where an individual joins the Update Service provided by DBS, they are able to keep their certificate up to date by giving employers permission to check if anything has changed on their certificate, as long as the role is in the same workforce as the existing certificate. The Update Service allows employers to undertake instant online checking of DBS certificates. This system regularly re-checks a registered individual and if new information is found triggers a “change in status”. This means that when the employer undertakes a status check, they will be informed that new information has come to light since the DBS certificate was issued and that they should apply for a new DBS check.

The Update Service is free to use for volunteers and costs £16 a year for paid employees. Further information and details of how to subscribe can be found at https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service.

Except in some sectors like health and education, where DBS checks are mandated by the sector through statutory guidance or regulatory requirements, the use of DBS checks is at the discretion of the employer. It is the responsibility of individual sectors and organsations to decide the frequency of checks on their employees working in regulated activity.