Children’s Activity Association | SAFEGUARDING RESOURCES
Welcome to our dedicated resource hub, a carefully curated space designed to empower activity providers with the knowledge and tools necessary for making informed, safe recruitment decisions.
To learn more about how Personnel Checks can help get your DBS compliance in order, click the button below:
Who Are Personnel Checks
Both Personnel Checks and CAA have a shared vision of making the working world safer. We partnered with the CAA as we believe by offering thorough background checks and safeguarding expertise, we can help the CAA on their campaign for regulation in the industry.
By choosing Personnel Checks, endorsed by the CAA, you gain access to a suite of benefits designed to streamline your safeguarding processes:
Reduced rate for all CAA members
5* Customer Service
Best-in-class technology
Reduce time spent on admin.
Expert guidance
Tailored Resources
The carousel below contains a range of guides and articles discussing topics directly relevant to running a children’s activity provision. If you would like to request some content you think others would find useful, feel free to drop us a message using the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Frequently asked questions
-
Simply put, regulated activity is work that a barred person cannot do. It refers to certain roles generally involving children and/or vulnerable adults, such as care or teaching. It is clearly defined in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which has since been amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.
The Disclosure and Barring Service have guidance booklets relating to roles in the Child Workforce, Adult Workforce and Other Workforce.
-
A DBS Check will reveal part or all of an applicant's criminal record history dependent on whether it is an Enhanced DBS, Standard DBS or Basic DBS Check. You can find our full breakdown of what a DBS Check shows here.
-
The Standard and Enhanced DBS Check can only be used by employers needing to make a recruitment decision on an individual who will be, or is already, engaging in regulated activity. These checks allow them to make a safe recruitment decision based upon the DBS certificate information.
Individuals cannot make a recruitment decision on themselves even if they are engaging in regulated activity. If this applies to you, we suggest contacting your local authority or regulative body as they may be able to apply for a DBS Check on your behalf.
-
The Disclosure and Barring Service states that any level of DBS Check can take between 6-8 weeks to complete. In our experience, they don’t generally take this long. We have broken down the average processing times of our DBS Check submissions below:
Basic DBS Check: 1 - 2 days
Standard DBS Check: 2 - 7 days
Enhanced DBS Check: 10 – 14 daysOver 50% of our Standard and Enhanced DBS Submissions are completed in 5 days or less. There is however no maximum to how long they can take. Checks can be delayed by applicant errors or external factors. You can find out more by following the links below.
-
The cost of a DBS Check varies depending on which level of check is being applied for. Our ‘off the shelf’ prices are:
Basic DBS Check: £45.50
Standard DBS Check: £45.50
Enhanced DBS Check: £73.50
Volunteer DBS Check: £24.00
CAA members also enjoy discounted adminstration fees meaning Enhanced DBS Checks are £61.50.We also offer discounted rates for bulk purchases and credit accounts are available (subject to credit check).
-
There is no way to fast-track or speed up the DBS process. All DBS Checks are subject to the same processing times. There are many screening companies out there that claim to offer a fast-track service but there is no basis for this.
There are certain things you can do which can make sure your DBS Check goes through as smoothly as possible. You can find tips in our guide here.
-
DBS Checks don’t last for a specific amount of time. They have no expiry date and the information is only correct at the point of issue. Certain industries have best practice guides on how often you should complete a new DBS Check. Most organisations tend to carry out new DBS Checks every three years.
-
DBS Checks can’t be renewed but getting new checks for existing staff is commonly referred to as a renewal. We expand on this in more detail in our knowledge hub article, here.
-
According to the government, a DBS never technically expires but that doesn’t mean you only need to do one! The certificate information is only accurate up until the date of issue anything beyond this point would require an additional check.
This is why it’s recommended that employers run DBS Checks on new staff even if they’ve had a DBS Check completed recently by another company. Only a new check would determine if an offence had been committed in the interim.
Best practice is to carry out new checks on existing staff every 3 years. Certain industries mandate shorter periods between checks so it’s best to familiarise yourself with the rules in your industry to ensure compliance.
-
DBS Checks are designed to protect the most vulnerable members of society. This includes children and adults who are considered vulnerable due to their age, illness or disability. DBS Checks are also designed to protect employers from recruiting people who may be a danger to their business.
-
When applying for a DBS Check, applicants need to provide either 2 or 3 types of documents, depending on the level of DBS Check. In most cases, DBS documents need to be the original copy as well as still being valid. You can find more information in our guide here.
General Resources
The carousel below contains a range of guides and articles discussing everything you need to know about DBS Checks. This is by no means comprehensive, if you want to check out our full resource library, check out our Knowledge Hub.
If you would like to request some content you think others would find useful, feel free to drop us a message using the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Got a question?
If you need any more information about background screening or safeguarding for your organisation, get in touch!
You can either submit a contact form below or contact us by phone or email.