DBS Checks

If you are self employed, the only level of check you can obtain on yourself is a Basic-level check. Anybody may request a basic level disclosure on themselves, and this can be done directly with the DBS or Disclosure Scotland if living in Scotland. You can read more on our Basic Disclosure page.

If you are intending to work or volunteer in certain roles, you may require a Standard or Enhanced level check. Under current legislation, self-employed individuals cannot get a check on themselves. In this situation, the self-employed individual would need to allow a 3rd party, such as a professional association, to request a check. If the returned Disclosure contains information that indicates you are unsuitable for the role, the professional association would make this decision.

Ultimately this is the decison of the employer to ensure they request the correct level of Disclosure for the work their employees are undertaking. Below is some guidance that can help with this decision making process:

Basic Disclosures can be requested for any role, including those adhering to the Cabinet Office Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

The Standard check is available for certain specified occupations, licences and entry into certain specified professions e.g. solicitors or some FCA controlled positions. Specifically, these are roles that are exempted from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) by way of being listed in the Exceptions Order (1975) and subsequent revisions. A Standard Disclosure contains details of all spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings from the Police National Computer (PNC)*

The Enhanced check is available for those included in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 plus the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) Regulations. This level of check contains the same PNC information as the Standard Check but also includes a check of police records held locally. Enhanced checks may also include a check of the Children’s and Adult’s barred list, if they fall under the definition of Regulated Activity.

You should verify that you are eligible to request a Standard or Enhanced check before proceeding with the request.

Spent convictions are those that have reached their rehabilitation period following a criminal conviction and are removed from an individual’s criminal record. Unspent convictions are those records that have not yet reached this defined time and will appear on a Basic Criminal Record Check.

The rehabilitation period is a set period of time defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Any conviction, caution, reprimand or warning that an individual may receive is held on their Criminal Record, on the Police National Computer. Some offences are classified as ‘non-recordable,’ meaning they are not stored on the PNC (Police National Computer) and become instantly ‘spent.’ This is is most commonly ‘on the spot’ fines but for more information contact the DBS directly. For exact time periods relating to types of offence please contact Disclosure Scotland or the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) directly.

Professions or job roles where employers can access both spent and unspent criminal convictions due to the nature of work being undertaken are detailed in The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, Exceptions Order 1975. Under pre-May 2013 Legislation an Enhanced and Standard Disclosure would show information on all previous spent and unspent convictions. Since 29th May 2013 there are certain conditions whereby conviction information is ‘filtered’ and some will not be displayed on the Certificate. Please view our webpage for more information about the Filtering of Conviction Information.

Within this new legislation there is a large list of conviction types and offences that will never be filtered from a Certificate. For more information go to www.gov.uk/dbs

The cost of getting a criminal record check depends on several factors and ranges from as little as £12 for a volunteer getting an online Disclosure to over £80 for an individual joining the Scottish PVG scheme.

The cost is determined by the type of check required, the documentation the applicant is able to provide, the type of service opted for and the volunteer status of the applicant. The eligibility for the different levels of check is decided by the DBS/SCRO, so we can only offer the lowest price to those applicants that meet the strict criteria

We are responsible for setting our own administrative fee, which includes the Royal Mail Tracked Mail fee (where applicable). Beyond this, the remainder of the application fee is set by the DBS, Disclosure Scotland or Access NI.

For more information about DDC fees please see our criminal record check price list .