Safeguarding at holiday parks is vitally important, and with summer on the way lots of families may be thinking about visiting one.
If you run a holiday park, you’ll no doubt want to make sure visitors feel safe and secure. With this in mind, you may be thinking about carrying out DBS Checks on your staff.
But which employees are eligible for a DBS Check, and what sort of check should they have? We’ve put together this blog to answer your questions.
Safeguarding at holiday parks: Are staff eligible for DBS Checks?
Holiday parks are full of children, and you need a DBS Check to work with children – right?
Not necessarily. Although holiday park employees will undoubtedly have contact with children, they don’t meet the eligibility requirements for an Enhanced DBS Check as the children will be accompanied by their parents – so it is the parents’ responsibility to ensure their children are safeguarded appropriately.
Because of this, most holiday park employees will only be eligible for a Basic DBS Check. Anyone aged 16 or over can have a Basic Check – there are no eligibility requirements.
A Basic DBS Check will reveal any unspent convictions the applicant has. Carrying out Basic DBS Checks on your staff will show that your holiday park is committed to safeguarding, giving visitors an extra level of reassurance.
If you have any employees who carry out regulated activity with children – for example, teaching or instructing children – then they may be eligible for an Enhanced DBS Check. If you’re unsure, see the DBS eligibility guidance.
Safeguarding at holiday parks: What about childcare staff?
If your holiday park has a childcare facility such as a crèche onsite, then the staff working in the crèche will be eligible for Enhanced DBS Checks.
Applicants employed specifically to be child care workers, apprentices or play workers within the creche could obtain an Enhanced DBS with a check against the children’s barred list. Any ancillary roles such as cleaners, maintenance or admin may not be eligible if the establishment/provision is not registered with Ofsted.
This type of check will reveal any spent or unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings the applicant has, as well as any relevant information held by local police. It will also show whether they have been banned from working with children.
Safeguarding at holiday parks: Children’s Entertainers
Some holiday parks employ children’s entertainers. Despite the amount of people entertainers might interact with on a daily basis, this role isn’t eligible for an Enhanced DBS Check.
This is because children aren’t required to attend this entertainment in the same way that they are for, say, school.
As previously mentioned, to be eligible for an Enhanced DBS Check an employee needs to have carried out regulated activity with children – which is unlikely, given the nature of the job!
However, if the following applies:
- Your employees are doing a regulated activity frequently
Or
- The care or supervision of the children is being signed over to someone else from their parents or guardians
Then your employees may be eligible to obtain an Enhanced DBS Check. If this is unclear, then feel free to consult the DBS eligibility guidance.
Safeguarding at holiday parks: A summary
Carrying out the appropriate pre-employment checks are an important part of safeguarding at holiday parks.
While most employees will only be eligible for a Basic Check, you should ensure any staff working in an onsite childcare facility and are providing a regulated activity in their role have had an Enhanced DBS Check before starting work.
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.
