DBS in Social Care – Your Complete Guide
Why are DBS checks important in health and social care? Safe staffing in care is all about having the correct amount of staff who possess the right skills and values to deliver high-quality care and support to service users. A huge part of safe staffing is making sure all of your employees have nothing concerning on their record, by carrying out a background check.
One of the main background checks is a DBS, but what is a DBS in health and social care? A DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check is a background check that allows employers to learn the criminal history of an applicant or one of their current employees. These must be carried out on those who work with children and vulnerable adults, as it ensures the service users’ safety and the employee's suitability for the company they work for. Employers who don’t follow the right procedure when it comes to DBS checks can face legal action or be sued.
While the importance of DBS checks is clear, as an employer or a potential health and social care worker, it’s important to fully understand what they are, your eligibility and the level of check you or your employee may need.
If you don’t fully understand DBS checks or you would like to know more about them, we at The Access Group have put together this complete guide to DBS checks in care to help you get the information you have been looking for.
Do You Need a DBS to be a Care Worker?
The simple answer is yes. In England, under Regulation 19 of the CQC (Care Quality Commission) Health and Social Care Act 2008, CQC expects every care provider to undertake the level of DBS check for which a particular staff member is eligible. To meet Regulation 19, all providers must conduct vigorous recruitment procedures, which include carrying out the relevant checks. There are several checks out there, which we will take a closer look at below.
The same is true in Wales, under The Regulated Services Regulations (2017), Regulation 35; “Fitness of Staff”, the RQIA in Northern Ireland also have the same requirement for DBS checks and up to date records for all staff, but applications are made through Access NI.
Care services in Scotland will instead apply through Disclosure Scotland to the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme, which is similar, though not identical to an Enhanced DBS check.
Basic DBS Check
A Basic DBS check will unveil details of conditional cautions and unspent convictions. Anyone can apply for one of these checks themselves via an organisation registered with DBS to sabot Basic checks. These are known as Responsible Organisations.
Standard DBS Check
For information on cautions, unspent convictions, reprimands and final warnings (subject to filtering) can be found using a Standard DBS check. These should be applied to individuals who take on roles carrying out activities mentioned in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Anyone can carry out a Standard check, but only employers and recruiters can apply via organisations registered with DBS. These are known as Registered Body.
Enhanced DBS Check
Enhanced DBS checks reveal the same information found in a Standard check, but they can also disclose non-conviction information that the police believe to be relevant to the workforce and should be made available. Enhanced checks are only required for people who meet the definition of working in the ‘child’, ‘adult’ and ‘other’ workforce categories. Only employers and recruiters can apply for an Enhanced DBS check through organisations registered with DBS (registered body).
Enhanced DBS Check with Children’s and/or Adults’ Barred List Check
These checks will unveil the same information as an Enhanced DBS check, alongside a check of the Children’s Barred List, the Adults’ Barred List, or both. This will depend on which group the individual is planning to work with and whether their role is eligible. Only employers and recruiters can apply for an Enhanced DBS Check with Children’s and/or Adults’ Barred List check through a registered body.
Eligibility for DBS Checks
The minimum age people can apply for a DBS check is 16. The law controls access to Standard and Enhanced DBS checks. There is no legality surrounding when a Standard or Enhanced DBS check should be carried out, but there is information that specifies when an employer can apply for a DBS check.
Businesses are allowed to produce their own guidance about when they want DBS checks to be requested, as long as it complies with the law that allows them to apply for one. Standard and Enhanced DBS check only need to be applied when someone is carrying out certain activities that would make them eligible for the.
What Level of DBS Check Do You Need in Health and Social Care?
All employees who work within a care service will automatically need an Enhanced DBS Check because they are likely to be engaging in controlled activity with vulnerable adults. If someone is providing personal care, they will need an Enhanced DBS Check alongside a check against the adult's barred list.
The Disclosure and Barring Service maintain the adult's barred list. To be eligible for a check against this list, a caregiver must be providing personal assistance or supervising or prompting with any personal care, cash, bills, shopping, transporting due to age, illness or disability, or social work.
Care or Support Workers and Assistants
Care workers or assistants that carry out certain activities for adults who require help due to illness, disability or age will be in regulated activity with adults. This is classed as ‘personal care’ and carers that carry out these tasks will require an Enhanced DBS check with an Adults’ Barred List check, irrespective of where this care is carried out. The activities that require these checks include:
- Physically assisting an adult with eating, drinking, washing, going to the toilet and oral, skin, hair and nail care (cosmetic purposes are not covered).
- Prompting an adult to do any of the activities listed above because they aren’t able to decide for themselves and then supervising the adult while they complete their task.
- Providing instruction, advice or training to adults on how to carry out the above activities for themselves.
Adult Social Workers
Adult social workers work with people to help them find solutions to their problems. This includes protecting vulnerable people from abuse or harm and supporting people to live independently.
Social workers who give adults ongoing support while also reviewing and assessing their needs will be engaging in regulated activity with adults. This means they will require an Enhanced DBS check with an Adults; Barred List check.
Domiciliary Care
If someone wants to stay in their own home but they require some extra help with household tasks, personal care, medication management or other activities, then their best option is domiciliary care.
Even if a domiciliary care provider doesn’t offer personal care, they may still require an Enhanced DBS Check without an Adults’ Barred List check. This applies to anyone who provides any form of instruction, advice or assistance to someone who needs it due to their illness, disability or age in the person’s home. They should also do this over 3 times in a 30-day period, at least once a week on an ongoing basis or once overnight between the hours of 2am and 6am.
Care Homes Including Nursing Homes
Anyone who takes part in any type of work in a care home (that’s not regulated activity) and they carry this out over 3 times in a 30-day period, at least once a week on an ongoing basis or once overnight between the hours of 2am and 6a, will require an Enhanced DBS check without an Adults’ Barred List check. This also applies to auxiliary workers like maintenance, cleaning and administration staff.
Keep on Top of Your DBS Checks
As you can see, DBS checks are essential in health and social care. They ensure that service users are given a safe level of high-quality care from trusted individuals. They are a legal requirement for health and social care businesses, so they protect employers from legal action. And they safeguard other members of the team by ensuring that their co-workers are trustworthy and dependable. This means that as an employer, you must keep on top of your DBS checks, and we at Access have an easy and resourceful way to do so.
Our automated screening solution for care management is part of our recruitment and screening software which can be used to help you meet regulation 19 from the CQC and Health and Social Care Act 2008, by providing DBS, right to work and reference checks. This speeds up the time it takes to run employment screening checks for new and existing care workers, and is part of The Access Care Suite.
The Access Care Suite has everything you need to plan, manage and monitor care quickly and efficiently. It can be used to help care providers work more effectively to deliver better care. Our software helps care businesses save time, reduce costs and mitigate errors, while giving staff, family and healthcare professionals real-time access to the information they need.
With over 30 years of experience digitising thousands of social care providers of all sizes across the world, we at Access have the expertise you need to succeed, and the support you need to digitise your business with confidence. If you would like to take advantage of our leading online care management software, contact us today and book in for a demo.
