Are DBS Checks Needed When Parents Are Present?
When working with children and vulnerable adults, the worker must get a DBS check. A DBS certificate increases trust, and employers will feel more confident in applicants’ abilities. This means working in a place like nurseries, hospitals, and care homes will require a DBS check.
A DBS check essentially ensures that an applicant has a clean criminal record, ensuring that the children and vulnerable adults are safe in the care of the workers.
It does beg the question, what if a parent or responsible adult is present? Is a DBS check still required? Let’s find out.
DBS Checks and Regulated Activities
Before we move on, it is crucial to know why a DBS check is required in the first place. A DBS check is only mandatory if your job requires you to do any regulated activity. This doesn’t change when parents or a responsible adult is present as long as your job requires you to perform any regulated activity.
The next question you might have is, what exactly are regulated activities? And which tasks count as a regulated activity?
Regulated activity refers to any role that involves working with children and vulnerable adults. Jobs like teaching children, working in mental health facilities, or care homes involve doing tasks classified under regulated activities.
The Disclosure and Barring Service created a barred list. A list with names of people that cannot work in any jobs that involve any regulated activity to protect children and vulnerable adults further.
So which tasks specifically are classified as a regulated activity? If your job includes any of the tasks listed below, a DBS check is required, regardless of whether or not parents or responsible adults are present.
- Teaching children: Teaching is a highly delicate job, and it’s even more delicate when it comes to teaching children.
- Regular care of children: It is considered regulated activity when taking care of children. This does not only apply to children, though, and can also apply to vulnerable adults. Any tasks involving feeding, cleaning, and assisting with dressing are considered regulated activities.
- Managing workers: Managers are not left out. A manager does not have to work directly with the children and vulnerable adults; managing who does so is also considered a regulated activity.
- Counsellors: Counselling and advising children and mentally unstable adults are also considered regular activities.
- Driving Children: When you’re tasked with driving children to any distance is also considered a regulated activity, and a DBS check is required.
Of course, if you’re not completing these tasks regularly, you would not need a DBS check. Once you are a full-time worker in any of these roles, then a DBS check is mandatory.
Although there are three levels in a DBS check, it is also essential to know that an enhanced DBS check is required when working in any regulated activity classified job. A Basic or Standard DBS check is not acceptable.
Contact our trusted advisors today to learn more about Enhanced DBS checks and how to get started on your application.
