Good safeguarding practice requires those who work closely with children and/or adults experiencing, or at risk of abuse or neglect, to have an enhanced criminal record check.
The following people would require an enhanced DBS check:
- A worker or volunteer who teaches, trains, instructs, cares for or supervises children or provides advice/guidance on physical, emotional or educational well-being to children
- A worker or volunteer who provides training, teaching, instruction, assistance, advice or guidance to an adult who receives a health or social care service
- A worker of volunteer who carries out health care, personal care, social work, assisting with cash, bills or shopping, assistance with affairs or transportation for an adult
- PCC members and trustees where they sponsor or approve work with children/vulnerable adults.
All Clergy and Readers require an enhanced DBS check.
Those in self-help groups or family and friends arrangements are not eligible for an enhanced check.
This is an update regarding DBS checks for PCC members and churchwardens (ex officio PCC members), because guidance has recently changed.
Whether PCC members and churchwardens are entitled to an enhanced DBS check is dependent on the nature of the arrangements in the particular church body - requirements will therefore vary across different parishes and churches.
Being a member of a PCC does not automatically mean that the DBS threshold for an enhanced DBS check is met, unless the parish conducts work with children or vulnerable adults. This is because an enhanced DBS check without barred list check can only be applied for if the PCC itself qualifies as a children's or vulnerable adult's charity, or if an individual PCC member is undertaking work with children or vulnerable adults.
Therefore, if your parish does NOT do any work with children and/or vulnerable adults, your PCC members do NOT need an enhanced DBS check. If you wish to carry out a DBS check, that will be limited to a Basic check at the cost to the parish of £22.79 each (correct as at 15 May 2024).
If your parish DOES do any work with children and/or vulnerable adults, your PCC members should have an enhanced volunteer DBS check (without barred list), in their capacity of trustee. The Charity Commission states that 'whenever there is a legal entitlement to obtain a DBS check in respect of such a trustee, a check should be carried out'. The PCC member does not need to work with children or vulnerable adults themselves tobe eligible for this check - they are being checked because of the work of the charity.
Please note:
Churchwardens are ex officio members of the PCC, so where the PCC qualifies as a children's or vulnerable adult's charity, then the churchwardens, along with the other members of the PCC as trustees of a children's or vulnerable adult's charity, should also have an enhanced volunteers DBS check without barred list check.
This is a broad summary. For full details please refer to the Safeguarding e-manual Chapter on Safer Recruitment and People Management. Make note of the toolkits which are provided within the document.
