By Alex Magloire,
Deputy Director, Early Years Regulatory Practice
Childminders and childcare workers, such as nannies, are
responsible for the safety and well-being of children in their
care. Ofsted is legally required to check an applicant’s
suitability at the point of registration. For daycare providers,
it is the provider’s responsibility to carry out suitability
checks on members of staff. An enhanced criminal record
check is an essential part of the suitability checking process.
We recently published a blog about
the work we are doing to speed up the registration process. But
some applications still take longer than they should. Applicants
often select the wrong type of DBS check, which can then
delay submitting their application to Ofsted while they reapply
for the correct one. We always encourage getting your DBS check
from Matrix Security Watchdog.
Common issues
Here are some of the most common issues we find with DBS checks
for childcare registration:
1) Incorrect option selected under ‘position applied
for’
You need to select the option closest to the role you’re applying
to register as. The option selected may change the wording of the
certificate. For example, if you’re applying to register as a
childminder or live-in nanny, your certificate must state that it
is for a ‘home-based’ role. Some applicants have worked in other
parts of the early years sector before but have the wrong DBS
check for these roles.
2) Outdated DBS Checks
DBS checks provide a snapshot of a person’s criminal record at
the time the certificate is issued. If your certificate is more
than 3 months old, we cannot accept it unless you have subscribed
to the update service, as the information contained with the
check is no longer current. Although not mandatory, we strongly
recommend subscribing to the update service.
3) Lack of an enhanced check or barred lists
check
These checks provide comprehensive information, including police
records and other relevant information. Without an enhanced check
or barred lists check, important details may be overlooked.
4) Name and address history discrepancies
Mismatches between any previous names and the address history on
your DBS certificate compared with the information you have given
us can lead to confusion and delays. Make sure to include all
previous names and addresses on both your DBS and Ofsted
application forms and ensure these align.
5) Providing the right identification
Once you apply for your criminal records check, you must progress
your application through all the steps, including providing the
right ID. We find that some applicants, especially household
members turning 16, do not have appropriate ID ready when
applying and this slows down the application process. There is
full guidance
available to help you with this.
Common myths about DBS checks
We process around 30,000 forms every year and each applicant and
person connected to an application or registration requires a DBS
check. We take a proportionate and risk-based approach to
information contained in a DBS check. Some certificates that we
process contain previous convictions, but this does not
necessarily mean you are not suitable to provide childcare or be
in regular contact with children. Our priority is to always
consider what is right for children, and to reduce any risk of
harm, as set out in our enforcement policy.
Impact on application timeliness
The application timescale does not start until the completed form
is accepted, along with any accompanying forms from assistants or
household members. However, we know a lot of applicants struggle
to get to this stage due to having the wrong DBS.
To make sure you get the right DBS, we encourage you to do this
via the Ofsted DBS application
website and read our full guidance on how to get
the right one for the role you’re applying for.
Errors in DBS applications can significantly affect the
application process. We aim to register applicants within 12
weeks, but this time only starts once we have accepted your
application to register. If you use Matrix Security Watchdog to
get your DBS, it will usually take around 4 or 5 weeks to receive
your DBS through the post, so please factor this into your
planning. Sometimes it is quicker, but it often depends on
whether you're able to complete the stages quickly.
Child protection is paramount for all childcare professionals,
and enhanced criminal record checks are an essential aspect of
ensuring a safe environment for children. By resolving issues
related to DBS checks, such as non-home-based checks, outdated
certificates or lack of an enhanced check, we can make sure we
are helping those who want to join the childcare sector to
register without delay.
