Wondering about DBS checks for parent volunteers?
If you volunteer at your child’s school, you may be wondering about the role of DBS checks, and whether you’ll need one.
Eligibility for DBS checks for parent volunteers centres around their interaction with children and their role within the school.
The following guide outlines some of the key questions to think about when deciding whether you’ll need a DBS check.
Will you be volunteering in a school?
One of the key components of eligibility for an enhanced DBS check (the highest level) is your place of work.
Anyone working or volunteering within what’s known as a limited range of establishments will be eligible for an enhanced DBS check. A school is one of these specified places. Others include nurseries and children’s homes.
In order to be eligible the applicant must also meet frequency requirements, which are outlined on page eight of the government guidance.
An enhanced DBS check will disclose any spent or unspent convictions an applicant has, as well as any cautions, warnings or reprimands they’ve received. It also gives the local police authority the opportunity to disclose any additional information they hold if they deem it relevant.
Will you be volunteering with children?
The nature of any contact with children will affect the applicant’s eligibility for a check against the children’s barred list. This is a check which can be included as part of the enhanced DBS check, and will reveal whether the individual has been barred from working with children.
If you volunteer in a school and you meet the frequency requirements, but don’t work alongside children, then you will not typically be eligible for an additional barred list check.
However, if you volunteer with children and will spend time with them unsupervised, you’ll usually be eligible for a check against the children’s barred list. An example would be a parent volunteer who is left alone with children whilst helping them with reading.
How do you obtain the correct check?
The school you’re volunteering for will need to request the appropriate level of check on your behalf. This is because only companies or organisations can request DBS checks – individuals can’t request high level DBS checks for themselves.
The school will need your consent to complete the check, and should make sure they follow legal and Ofsted requirements.
The school should also ensure that they only make a recruitment decision once the check is complete.
DBS checks for parent volunteers: A summary
There are number of points to consider to determine which level of DBS check you’ll require as a parent volunteer, and these largely depend on your role.
- Will you be working in a school and meeting the frequency requirements? If so, you’ll typically be eligible for an enhanced DBS check.
- Will you be working with children? If so, your eligibility for a children’s barred list check will depend on whether or not you’re supervised at all times.
- Schools will need to request DBS checks for parent volunteers and should comply with Ofsted and legal requirements.
If you have any further questions or queries about DBS checks for parent volunteers, some key points of contact include:
- Ofsted
- Your local school
- The Disclosure and Barring Service
Be sure to get in touch with us if you have any further questions. You can apply for a number of DBS Checks through our simple online platform – most checks are completed within 48 hours. Get started now.
