DBS check

A DBS check is a criminal-record check run by the Disclosure and Barring Service for England and Wales.

There are four levels: basic; standard; enhanced; and enhanced with barred list(s). Eligibility for standard and enhanced checks is set in legislation — a charity cannot simply order an enhanced check for every volunteer because it feels safer. Scotland uses the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme. Northern Ireland uses AccessNI. Treating “DBS” as a UK-wide label is a common mistake.

For volunteer coordinators the operational point is eligibility and record-keeping, not software. The organisation decides whether a role qualifies, how often to repeat a check, and who is cleared to work. Insurers and sector bodies often expect a policy. Zelos does not run DBS checks and does not gate signups when a check lapses.

Also called: background check (US), police record check / Vulnerable Sector Check (Canada), Working with Children Check (Australia). Related: vulnerable sector check.