how to obtain your own DBS certificate

[amateur]

I've often applied for jobs, where the employer has done the DBS clearance.

How do I do my own DBS, and how long would it last for.

I just find it a faff and time consuming, so would rather have my own.

 

[Bayum]

You can't 'do your own', as it were...

However, when you get your DBS it gives you 14 days to register the DBS number to your name, for something like £12 for the year. Then, when you apply for jobs, you give them your reference number and it runs a new DBS without you having to go through the process of finding identification and documentation.

 

[Bayum]

The only thing I'd bear in mind, however, is that depending what jobs you're going for, you might have to have a more in-depth 'enhanced' check. If you've registered a non-enhanced DBS number, I'm not sure if they convert to an enhanced check or not.

 

[tony_mac]

You can get a basic check done, but this only shows unspent criminal records.
https://www.gov.uk/criminal-record-checks-apply-role

 

[thejuggler]

DBS is for the benefit of the employer, not the employee, so they need to apply for it.

I have one for a club I'm involved with. We get people such as teachers saying they already have one, but we still have to do another.

 

[whhistle]

We get people such as teachers saying they already have one, but we still have to do another.

And those people who say "I already have one" seem to forget that from the employer point of view, they could have comitted a crime since having the check done.
Hence needing a new one, every time.

 

[richw]

Organisations don’t normally accept those done by other organisations neither.
I had an enhanced one done for my work and another enhanced for my volunteering with kids rugby, and the second organisation wouldn’t accept the rugby one even though it was only 3 weeks old. The check company must be laughing to the bank that such a fresh check isn’t accepted by a 2nd organisation.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And those people who say "I already have one" seem to forget that from the employer point of view, they could have comitted a crime since having the check done.
Hence needing a new one, every time.

There does exist the "update service" which can avoid this issue, but it isn't universally accepted by organisations. One reason I heard as to why this might be is that there is the possibility, when a Police Force gets a check to run, for the Chief Constable to write a letter to the requesting organisation, separately from the check return, to advise them that while the certificate is blank there is an ongoing investigation involving the individual which would suggest the recruitment should not go ahead but to reveal it to the individual would prejudice that investigation. This is extremely rare, but I understand using the Update Service would not trigger this for some procedural reason.