The Easter holidays are fast approaching, and with them a whole host of seasonal activities for the kids.
Safeguarding is always a top priority when it comes to working with children. If you’re thinking of running an event or activity during the Easter holidays, you may be wondering whether you’ll need a DBS Check.
Here’s our guide to DBS Checks and Easter holiday activities.
Do I need a DBS Check to be the Easter bunny?
It wouldn’t be the Easter holidays without the Easter bunny!
If you’re going to dress up as the Easter bunny, getting a DBS Check may seem like the natural thing to do to give parents peace of mind.
However, dressing up as the Easter bunny does not make you eligible for a Standard or Enhanced DBS Check, as the children who visit you will be supervised by their parents.
If you wanted to offer parents an extra level of reassurance, you could have a Basic DBS Check. Basic Checks are available to anyone aged 16 or over, and you can apply for one as an individual.
Do I need a DBS Check to run an Easter egg hunt?
As with visiting the Easter bunny, children will almost certainly be accompanied by their parents for an Easter egg hunt, so organising one would not qualify you for a Standard or Enhanced DBS Check.
Some activities are eligible for an Enhanced DBS Check if they happen frequently and in any of the listed ‘limited ranges of establishments’ with opportunity for contact with children. These ‘limited range of establishments’ include schools, nurseries and children’s homes. A full list of them can be found on page 8 of this report from the Department for Education.
If your Easter egg hunt will happen in a specified place, it still needs to meet the frequency requirement to be eligible. This means it needs to happen three or more times in any 30-day period. If this is the case, you could request an Enhanced DBS Check with a check of the children’s barred list.
Otherwise, you’ll only be eligible for a Basic DBS Check.
Do I need a DBS Check to run an Easter holiday camp?
Anyone who teaches, instructs or mentors children on a frequent basis (more than three times in a 30-day period) and unsupervised will be eligible for an Enhanced DBS Check with a check of the children’s barred list – so it’s likely this will apply to staff or volunteers at an Easter holiday camp.
If you have staff who meet the frequency requirement but will be supervised at all times, they’ll be eligible for an Enhanced Check without a barred list check.
How about one-off activities in the Easter holidays?
If you’re planning on running a one-off activity for children over the Easter holidays – an egg-painting session, for example – then you’d only qualify for a Basic Check as the activity won’t be happening frequently enough for an Enhanced Check.
Keeping children safe over the Easter holidays: Final thoughts
Protecting the children you work with is crucial, but it’s important to make sure your role is eligible before applying for a DBS Check.
If you’re not sure, check out the DBS eligibility guidance or get in touch with us – we’d be happy to help.
