DBS legislation changes and news: summing up 2016
At uCheck, we pride ourselves on our close relationship with the DBS. We’re always at the forefront of new developments, and are among the first to hear of any DBS legislation changes.
We know these changes can be difficult to keep track of. But don’t worry – we’ve done the hard work for you.
Here’s a roundup of DBS legislation changes and news from 2016:
Enhanced DBS checks made mandatory for school governors
The government published amended legislation which came into force on 18 March 2016, making enhanced DBS checks mandatory for governors of maintained schools.
The legislation brought the requirements for maintained schools in line with those in place for free schools and academies.
This means that school governors in any type of school – independent, maintained, academy or free – must now hold an enhanced DBS certificate.
Want to know more about DBS checks for school governors? Check out this blog post we wrote about it.
Councils called for minibus licensing loophole to be closed
In early December the Local Government Association (LGA), representing over 370 local councils, warned that a minibus licensing loophole was putting the public at risk.
The loophole allows drivers of ‘public carriage vehicles’ (PCVs), which seat between nine and 16 passengers, to transport the public without having a criminal record check.
Under the current rules, hackney carriage and private taxi drivers are licensed by councils, and must undergo an enhanced DBS check before they can operate.
PCV drivers, however, are licensed by the DVLA, and are not subject to the same requirement.
The LGA urged the government to close the loophole and bring PCVs into line with other taxi licensing rules, thereby making DBS checks a requirement for minibus drivers.
A spokesman from the Department of Transport said it was planning immediate action.
The Met reduced DBS application backlog by almost 50%
The DBS and Metropolitan Police Service worked throughout 2016 to reduce a backlog of applications that was causing delays to processing times.
DBS applications have to be reviewed by the applicant’s local police force, where the applicant’s police record is searched to uncover any relevant information.
The Met has faced a backlog since October 2015 due to staffing difficulties and an increase in the number of applications.
In April 2016 the Met had around 83,000 outstanding applications. By the end of the year the backlog had been reduced by almost half to 43,435.
The Met is taking measures to prevent further delays, and is expecting improvements to continue over the coming months.
