Does Your Address History Affect Your DBS Check?
DBS checks started in 2012 as a way to protect vulnerable adults andchildren from workers who may pose a risk.
Anyone who wants to work in a role that involves contact with children or vulnerable adults requires a DBS check. The Disclosure and Barring service checks an applicant’s criminal record to see if they are suitable to work with these vulnerable groups.
The applicant’s address history plays a vital role in these checks. Unusual or incomplete address histories can cause delays and even a withdrawal of the application.
What Is An Unusual Address History?
The DBS takes a deep look into an applicant’s address history, and inconsistencies can lead to the DBS flagging it up. An example of an unusual address history may be when someone states that they were living in university accommodation, while also living at their parents’ address. Another example could be people who have travelled a lot, so there is no consistent address.
A gap in your address could also be considered unusual, as you must have lived somewhere at the time, unless you were living on a boat or didn’t have a fixed address at that time.
Why Is Your Address History Important?
You may be asking yourself, why exactly does the DBS care so much about where you lived and where you are currently living?
One of the reasons the DBS needs a full five years of your address history is to check your criminal record. People move around the UK all the time and can be arrested anywhere. The DBS needs to look up your name in all of the locations you lived at.
Checking an address is also a way to ensure that the DBS doesn’t mix up names. Two people can have similar names, but cannot have similar addresses for the past five years.
The DBS will not be able to provide a fast service if there are inconsistencies with your addresses. An inconsistent address history makes it difficult for the service to determine whether or not you’ve had problems with the law. As a result, your application will be delayed, paused, or, even worse, withdrawn altogether.
How To Make Sure You Fill In Your Address History Correctly
The DBS guidance is that applicants must provide their current address, and every address they have lived at for the past five years. Every address field is compulsory, so don’t skip any one of them for any reason.
It’s not surprising that people can make mistakes when submitting their addresses, but what happens if you submit the wrong address by mistake? The DBS provides guidance that can help you if you have that problem.
The Unusual Address Guide is available online to anybody with an unusual address history. This guide will give you instructions on how to further your application.
Does The DBS Verify Your Addresses?
The DBS won’t just take your word for it. Obviously, for security reasons, the Disclosure and Barring Service will verify every address that has been given.
Most of the time this is simple, like calling relevant parties such as landlords or mortgage companies. Sometimes they may need to contact the local police to verify the address and need to go a step further, such as looking at bank records and viewing driver’s licence information. If they cannot verify your information, your application could get rejected.
The DBS needs to verify that people are not sending false information to bypass the check.
If you want to find out more about DBS checks, including how to apply quickly and easily online, you can contact our trusted advisors today.
