What to do if there is a role in your team that needs a DBS check.
Human Resources are responsible for determining what level of check is required for a role. If you have any questions about what level of check may be required, you should contact your HR Business Partner.
We conduct DBS checks for new staff when their role requires it. If a DBS check is required, any offer of employment is subject to the return of a satisfactory check.
The Employee Services Hub onboarding team will also process checks for existing staff when:
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check carries no period of validity. Disclosures are for use immediately after issue at the point of recruitment for a specific role.
When you submit the Staffing Request Form in MyERP, check the box to indicate that a DBS check is required for the role.
Include the level of check required in the position comments field, as shown below:
When the role is approved for recruitment, the Resourcing Team will contact you to request a job description and advert text.
The Resourcing Team will check the job description to make sure it includes the correct information on required DBS checks.
If the information in the job description is missing or incorrect, the Resourcing Team will ask you to resubmit the documents with corrected text in liaison with your HR Business Partner.
When the recruitment process is complete, you will inform the Resourcing Team of outcomes and confirm the successful candidate.
The onboarding team will send the candidate a formal offer of appointment, and will include a link to our verification partner site (Verifile) to complete their application.
If the candidate’s disclosure is satisfactory and contains no spent/unspent convictions or records, the Employee Service Hub onboarding team we will send them confirmation of their start date in the role.
If the candidate’s disclosure confirms details of spent or unspent criminal convictions or records, the Resourcing Manager will review the information.
You may be contacted to consider the disclosure in line with the requirements of the post.
You might decide to invite the candidate to a meeting to discuss their case further before you make a final decision on suitability. An HR Business Partner will also attend the meeting to provide support and advice.
Confirm your decision on the candidate’s suitability for the role to your HR Business Partner. They will update the Resourcing Team, who will send the applicant either:
This procedure applies irrespective of how the University becomes aware of an applicant’s criminal convictions and therefore includes self-disclosure by the applicant, DBS checks, information in the media, and/or a search of the DBS barred lists.
This procedure will also be followed in the event of an unspent criminal conviction coming to light after the formal offer of employment has been made or during employment.
In these cases, the University would reserve the right to withdraw the offer of appointment where appropriate or terminate employment in line with the University’s conduct procedure.
Criminal record checks for staff joining from outside of the UK
If new staff member has never visited the UK, we'll need to get a criminal record check from their country of origin.
More information on this can be found in our information for applicants
DBS and start dates
Once an individual has provided their information to Verifile, checks take an average of two weeks to complete.
It’s possible that a new hire’s start date may arrive, but their DBS has yet to be returned.
Here, your HR Business Partner will make a risk assessment to determine if the agreed start date can remain, or needs to wait until the DBS check is complete.
This will consider:
• Does the role involve regulated activity
• Can duties be restricted while the check completes
• Is a restriction in duties appropriate given the setting
If it is agreed that the individual can start before their DBS outcome is received the Employee Services Hub will require written approval from the line manager and HR Business Partner.
Staff requiring a DBS check must be re-checked every three years.
When they are due to be re-checked, we will send them a letter to let them know.
If their disclosure is satisfactory and contains no spent/unspent convictions or records, the Employee Service Hub onboarding team will record the check as completed and no further action is required.
If the check identifies issues relevant to their role you will usually be considered the Appropriate Manager for any hearings that follow. In some cases, another manager may need to take this role and your HR Business Partner will advise you who would be the Appropriate Manager in these cases.
The disclosure may return a recorded offense or other relevant information which has not previously been declared.In this case, the Resourcing Manager will make an initial assessment of the relevance of this information to the post. If there is clearly no relevance their record will be updated, and no further action is required.
If the report confirms a potentially relevant conviction or potentially relevant information, the Resourcing Manager will contact you to take further action in line with the University’s discipline procedure. The individual will be invited to an investigation meeting with you and your HR Business Partner to discuss the impact of the disclosure on their role. The individual will be suspended from work on full pay at the end of the meeting, pending a hearing under Ordinance 10.
If the hearing finds that the offense or relevant information means the individual is unsuitable to continue working in their role, you will confirm the decision with the HR Business Partner. The HR Business Partner will ask the Resourcing Team team to send a letter to the individual. This letter will serve notice to terminate their employment and confirm that they will be placed in the University Redeployment Pool and remain on paid suspension for the duration of their notice period. The reason for dismissal will be ‘Some other substantial reason’.
Staff are encouraged to self-disclose information relating to unspent convictions or pending criminal proceedings. There may be instances where an individual has failed to disclose information that directly impacts their suitability to carry out the role. In these circumstances, the hearing will consider summary dismissal for ‘Breach of trust and confidence’. If there has been a breach of trust and confidence, you will confirm the decision with the HR Business Partner. The HR Business Partner will ask the Resourcing Team team to send a letter serving notice to terminate the individual’s employment on these grounds.
An individual whose results appear on the barred list may be dismissed without notice. This will depend on the facts of the case, the nature of the conviction and the nature of the role performed. If you find that it is not appropriate to place the individual in the University Redeployment Pool you will confirm your reasons with the HR Business Partner. The HR Business Partner will ask the Resourcing Team team to issue a letter serving notice to terminate their employment for ‘Some other substantial reason’ and will explain why redeployment is not appropriate.
