The DBS this week announced a change in the DBS application form, effective from 27th April 2015, which extends the circumstances in which employers and registered bodies can apply for Enhanced DBS Checks on an individual.
Question X66: Does this position involve working with children or adults at the applicant’s home address? has been the subject of some difficulty for applicants in the past, therefore the DBS has sought to provide better guidance on what is meant by Home Based Position (HBP), and who employers can request a HBP Enhanced check on behalf of.
What is the change?
The updated Operational description, effective only after the above date, defines HBP as:
“A role where;
- the applicant carries out some or all of his or her work with children or adults from the place where the applicant lives or
- the applicant lives in the household of someone who is or has been checked because they carry out some or all of their work with children from the place where they live.”
This applies to applicants who provide care, teaching, instruction or service to children or adults from their own home, and only where the child or adult is present in the applicant’s home – therefore not including online or telephone services, nor work that is carried out in the home of the child or adult receiving the service.
It also includes applicants who live in the same household as someone who works with children at their home address, though they may not directly work with the children. However, there has to be sufficient evidence that the applicant may at some time have direct contact with the children in question and therefore could pose a risk to them. There currently is no similar legislation for applicants living with someone who provides care to adults from the shared household. The amendment also applies to the question regarding e-bulk applications.
Who is affected?
Individuals living in the same household as foster carer applicants, such as grown-up children and lodgers, are eligible for a home based check by Local Authorities considering foster applications.
Church members who carry out duties that involve children or vulnerable adults within their own home are eligible for a HBP Enhanced check by the church, where evidence can be provided.
Live-in Nannies and Au Pairs also meet the criteria of a HBP check.
Positions are not considered home-based if the work is being carried out at the home of the individual receiving the care or service.
How does this affect your current DBS certificate and Update Service?
The Update Service will only search for new information on the subscriber, it will not retrieve information in relation to the home address of the certificate-holder, nor any other adults who live there. You must discuss this with the person requesting a certificate for you, to determine if they require a home-based check on other tenants within your household.
If your current certificate is not home-based and you are taking on a home-based role, you will likely be asked to complete a new application form.
Source: http://www.personnelchecks.co.uk
