Anyone Volunteering with Urban Saints in England or Wales may be requested to complete a DBS check before they start Volunteering. The following information will explain what you need to do if you have been asked to complete a check.
Please be aware that the following information relates only to those Volunteering within England and Wales. If you are Volunteering elsewhere in the UK, please visit the information for Ireland or Scotland.
Why do I need a DBS check?
Everyone Volunteering with those under the age of 18 in England and Wales must have a valid Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS check, formally called CRB check) to ensure their suitability to work with children and young people.
What if I already have a check?
Urban Saints renew all DBS checks every three years, to ensure the continued safety of children and young people in our Camps, Groups and Overseas Missions. This means if your DBS is over three years old, you will be required to renew your check. Similarly even if you have a DBS from another role (such as for work or Church) we may require you to complete a new DBS check for Urban Saints.
If you have a DBS which is registered on the DBS Update Service we may be able to use this to complete a new disclosure check without completing a new application. For more information on the Update Service, please contact the Volunteer Support Team.
What is the DBS process?
Step 1 - receive the email
The Volunteer Support Team will email with a link to start your application through Thirtyone:Eight, a third party company who will process your DBS check on our behalf.
If you have not received an email from the team, please check your emails junk folder, or email volunteersupport@urbansaints.org.
Step 2 - Find the relevant documents
Before starting your application, please locate at least one of the following documents:
- National insurance number (this is usually printed on your pay slip or P45/P60)
- Valid passport or driving licence (i.e. still in date, issued from any country)
- National identity card (issued from any country)
Step 3 - Complete the application form
Follow the link to start your DBS application. The form will ask for the following information:
- Personal details (inc. full name, town and country of birth, gender and email address)
- Details of any changes to nationality or names since birth (inc. dates when name(s) changed
- Details of any unspent convictions which would not be filtered (please visit our FAQ section for more information about what a spent conviction is, and what offences are filtered)
- Details of all addresses you have lived in for the last 5 years (including dates you have lived at each address)
- Your ID documents (listed in step 2)
Step 4 - Complete your ID check
You will receive an automated email from Thirtyone:Eight to confirm your initial application has been completed. In order to verify your identity you must now complete an ID check.
Please visit www.urbansaints.org/dbsidcheck where you will find more information about completing the ID check, and where you will be able to download the ID check form.
Please return your ID check as quick as possible, as any delay may affect whether you are able to serve on a Camp, Group or Overseas Mission Trip.
Step 5 - Submitting and processing your application
After receiving your completed ID check, your DBS application will be submitted to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for processing. Depending on the level of check we have requested, your details will be checked against various national databases, before being sent to all relevant local police forces to check for any relevant cautions or convictions.
If any cautions or convictions are identified they will be filtered to exclude certain offences in line with Government guidelines.
Step 6 - Receiving your new certificate
Once all the checks have been completed a certificate will be issued, recording any cautions, convictions, or other relevant information from police records which has not been filtered. This will be sent to the current address provided on the application form.
Urban Saints do not receive copies of the certificate, and are only notified if the check has come back clear (i.e. no cautions, convictions or other relevant information has been recorded on the certificate). If anything has been recorded on your certificate we will contact you to discuss this further.