A Guide To Safeguarding & DBS Checks for Activity Clubs
If you are involved in organising or helping out with an activity club for children then you need to be aware that safeguarding rules apply. Any adult involved in teaching, instructing, or coaching children at an activity club will need a DBS Check. For example, a football club, tennis coaching, a gymnastics club, or dance lessons, will all require a DBS Checked adult.
Read on to find out more about DBS Checks for activity clubs, including what type of roles need them and how you can apply for one.
What types of roles need a DBS Check at an activity club?
It’s never easy to pinpoint a list of exact roles that need DBS Checks, as there are lots of different roles that adults may be engaged in at an activity club.
If the role is a regulated activity, then the individual in that role will need to get the highest level criminal background check, which is an Enhanced DBS Check with a barred list check.
A regulated activity is a job role that involves working directly and unsupervised with children on a frequent basis, which means three or more times over a thirty day period.
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) states that typical regulated activities include teaching, training, coaching, instructing, or providing healthcare to children in an unsupervised capacity.
In other words, most adults that are involved in children’s activity clubs will be considered as a regulated activity, for instance, sports coach, art and craft club teachers, and supervisors of after-school activity clubs.
A regulated activity can also be determined by the place in which the role takes place, for instance a school or healthcare environment. If the work takes place in a limited range of establishments, also known as specified places, then the individual would be eligible for a high level check. The specified places include schools, nurseries, hospitals, etc.
This means that if you run an activity club that is based at any of those places, then you will automatically qualify for an Enhanced DBS Check.
If the employees work within a limited range of establishments, but the role doesn’t involve teaching, instructing, supervising, or caring for children, then they may only need a Standard DBS Check or Basic DBS Check.
Examples of roles that may only need a lower level DBS Check are administrators, cleaners, or caretakers in a limited range of establishments.
The rules and guidance set out by the DBS, such as regulated activities, applies to everyone working in those roles, including volunteers or paid workers.
To sum up, if you’re requesting a DBS Check for people working at an activity club, then you need to consider the type of role and the location.
What is the children’s barred list?
If the activity club role is a regulated activity, then an Enhanced DBS Check will be needed, alongside a children’s barred list check.
The children’s barred list is a database that contains details of all the people in the UK who have been banned from working with children indefinitely due to the serious nature of past crimes. If the individual who is applying to work in a regulated activity is on the children’s barred list, then they cannot be appointed to that role, otherwise it would be considered to be a criminal offence for both the applicant and the employer.
What about Basic DBS Checks?
Some roles at activity clubs may only require the lowest level of DBS Check, which is a Basic DBS Check. Individuals who have little to no contact with children while engaged in their duties and are never left unsupervised with children, may only need a Basic DBS Check.
A Basic DBS Check only reveals unspent convictions and conditional cautions, and is available for any individual aged 16 years or over. You can apply for a Basic DBS Check easily though our online service.
How to apply for a DBS Check
Applying for a DBS Check couldn’t be easier these days. You can simply use our online platform to apply for a DBS Check. We are a DBS registered body, which means we can verify your ID documents, check the application form for mistakes and omissions, and submit it to the DBS for processing.
Using our online service means you should get your results within 48 hours and the DBS certificate will be received at your home address within two weeks.
Alternatively you can apply using a paper form and posting it to the DBS. This often takes longer than two weeks, and you won’t get your results until you receive the certificate.
Many regulatory bodies of children’s activity clubs, such as the Football Association, request that individuals get their DBS Checks updated at set intervals, for instance, every two years.
Summary of DBS Checks for activity clubs
Activity clubs for children must be safeguarded carefully.
An important part of safeguarding is to get DBS Checks for activity clubs.
If you run or work at an activity club for children, you must consider:
- who is eligible for a DBS Check
- the regulation that is in place
- who regulates and oversees the activity club and find out what their safeguarding policy is
- apply for a DBS Check and make sure you keep it up to date when you’re in role.
Involved in an activity club for children? Get all the DBS Check information you need – get in touch today.