There are many reasons why someone would be looking for temporary, or casual work rather than a full-time, permanent position. Students looking for part time work, people who are between contracts, or people who are looking for extra work to boost their income on a short-term basis. Recruiters who want to fill a vacancy quickly want someone who can start almost immediately, with the minimum of paperwork. So, what happens with casual roles requiring DBS Checks?
Legal Requirement for DBS Checks
Not every occupation needs DBS checks. The vast majority of retail, hospitality and office work doesn’t need any sort of police check, so if you’re applying for bar work, retail work, or work as a temp in an office setting, you won’t have to worry about DBS checks at all. If however you are planning on taking up some casual work in a care home, or perhaps in a bank or insurance company, you might be working in a setting where other people working with you have DBS checks at either standard or enhanced level. But confusingly, this doesn’t automatically mean that you will need a DBS check too.
Many employers recognise that the processing time for DBS checks means that if you are recruiting someone to cover a short period of a month or two, they may have left by the time their DBS check has been processed. There are ways round this, of course. Often, employers will recruit agency staff who have had their DBS checks processed by the agency which employs them, allowing them to work for a range of employers across a specific sector. Alternatively, an employer might employ someone without a DBS check and pair them up with a fully checked member of staff, ensuring that they are not left unsupervised at any time. As long as the employer has assessed the risks of staff not having a full DBS check, this is perfectly legal.
Adult First Checks
Another option is for employers to ask for adult first checks if the person is being employed to work with the elderly, or disabled adults. An adult first check will look at whether someone’s name appears on the Barred Lists, central registers of people who are legally banned from people working with adults. This is a preliminary check which is nowhere near as detailed as a full DBS check, but is better than nothing from a safeguarding perspective.
DBS Update
Update is a subscription service from the DBS check which gives members access to a database with their current, up to date DBS information. For someone who moves regularly around different jobs in the same sector, then DBS Update can be a wise investment. For a small additional annual fee, it gives the ability to allow employers instant access to your DBS and allows you to start work straight away. Update can only be used for jobs requiring the same level of DBS check and in the same sector but is ideal for carers, nursing staff or even hospital admin staff.
