DBS Checks For Responsible and Nominated Individuals
Care facilities need to be very careful when it comes to recruitment, since they are the primary caregivers to vulnerable adults and children. For this reason, care facilities must ensure that they properly vet all employees to ensure the safety of residents or clients.
“Responsible” or “nominated” individuals are people that oversee regulated activities in care facilities. Regulated activities play an extremely important role when it comes to DBS checks.
Certain types of jobs always require DBS checks, especially those that involve regulated activities. Nominated individuals always require DBS checks.
What Are Responsible or Nominated Individuals?
Responsible or nominated individuals ensure that every regulated activity provided at a certain facility is supervised, managed, and controlled. Nominated individuals are mostly found in schools, nurseries, daycare centres, care homes, hospitals, and generally wherever care and close supervision is given.
Nominated or responsible individuals ensure that care practices are carried out safely. They ensure that everything is operating honestly in the facility and no risky damaging behaviour is happening. Responsible and nominated individuals also report back to several governing bodies.
The supervisor must be vetted very carefully and thoroughly in order to ensure that everyone is doing their jobs to the best of their ability.
The responsibilities of responsible or nominated individuals include:
- Ensuring the safety of everyone in the facility
- Supervising and monitoring all of the regulated activities that take place
- Taking charge of allocating staff and resources to ensure continued good service
- Overseeing management duties.
Each facility will have its own specific job descriptions, as these are just a general overview of their tasks.
Everyone who engages in a regulated activity must complete an enhanced DBS check to ensure the safety of those they work with.
You might wonder, are DBS checks still required for nominated individuals since their primary task is to manage and not come into direct contact with vulnerable groups?
It is vital that nominated individuals receive a thorough DBS check as they are responsible for the daily management and supervision of people in highly responsible roles.
It is important that those in charge of managing care workers have a proven history of not committing crimes against vulnerable groups. For this reason, nominated individuals must get an enhanced DBS check.
Anyone working in these types of roles will require a valid DBS certificate. The hiring organisation applies on the applicant’s behalf, submitting the application and usually covering the administration fee.
Applying For A DBS Check
You can now apply for DBS checks online. However, applying for a DBS check isn’t as straightforward as simply clicking a sign-up button.
Enhanced and standard DBS checks need verification from employers or a registered third party. You can only get an enhanced or standard DBS for work reasons, not personal ones.
This means you cannot get an enhanced or standard DBS certificate if it’s for personal use.
For a Basic DBS check, individuals over the age of 16 can apply and unspent convictions will be disclosed. Individuals are able to submit basic DBS checks themselves, unlike Standard and Enhanced.
Get in touch today to learn more about DBS checks and how to get started on your application.
