Dear Colleague,

Please find important information from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) regarding applications and disclosure certificates below.

STARTS:

Ensuring Accuracy of Disclosure Certificates

Dear Colleague,

DBS officials have contacted COBIS to highlight that a number of DBS applications have been submitted with inaccurate or missing information.  As you will appreciate, this is a major concern, which could result in putting children and/or vulnerable adults at risk.

Submitting a DBS application form with incorrect information runs the risk of generating an inaccurate disclosure result. For example, you may receive a clear disclosure when there is in fact information you should be aware of, or the DBS may match incorrect criminal information against an applicant.   

Examples of inaccurate information which have been flagged to COBIS are:   

o             Date of birth being different to that on a previous DBS application

o             Middle name not provided

o             Previous surname not provided

o             Surname spelt incorrectly

o             Whole previous identity not provided

The DBS will always do everything they can to ensure the accuracy of disclosure certificates and if they need to clarify details for an application, this delays the process which may lead to frustration for you and your employee who may not be able to work without the DBS certificate.

What can you do to help?

o             Check and validate the information provided by the applicant on the application form

o             Establish the true identity of the applicant through the examination of a range of documents

o             Make sure the applicant provides details of all names by which they have formerly been known                                                                         

o             Make sure the applicant provides details of all addresses where they have lived in the last five years

o             Where possible you should seek documentation to confirm the address history

o             You should cross-match the applicant’s address history with any other information you have been provided with as part of the recruitment process, such as their Curriculum Vitae (CV). This can highlight if an address has not been given e.g. if the applicant’s CV shows that they have worked in Liverpool in the last five years, but the application form only shows London addresses, you may wish to question the applicant further about this

o             Check that the application form is fully completed and the information it contains is accurate

o             Always check for signs of tampering when checking identity documents. Documents should be queried if they display any signs of damage, especially in the areas of personal details such as the name and the photograph

If there are any discrepancies with the information provided by the applicant and/or the identity documents supplied, and fraud is not suspected, please ask the applicant to clarify. If you don’t do this it may compromise the integrity of the DBS service and introduce risk to your recruitment and/or licensing arrangements.

ENDS

Please also be aware that the COBIS Head Office has moved.  Please ensure any applicants who use the c/o COBIS address or send their ID documents to COBIS to be witnessed use our new address below:

Council of British International Schools (COBIS)
55-56 Russell Square
Bloomsbury
London
WC1B 4HP
UK

I should be grateful if you forward this email on to any colleagues who are involved in the DBS process.

Regards,
Colin

Colin Bell
CEO
Council of British International Schools (COBIS)
55-56 Russell Square
Bloomsbury, London, WC1B 4HP
UK 
(t) +44 203 8267 190
www.cobis.org.uk 

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