If you’re applying for a job which requires a DBS check, it sometimes comes as a surprise that the application to the Disclosure and Barring Service for a background check is made by the person concerned, not the employer. The employer may pay for the check depending on the policy, but the application form is filled in by the applicant, and when the certificate is issued, it is posted to the address that the applicant has given them. Depending on the circumstances, it could be days, weeks or even months until the applicant needs to show their DBS certificate to the employer. So, what happens if it gets mislaid or lost in the interim?

DBS Certificate Reprint

There is a system in place for allowing applicants to ask for a reprint of a certificate which has gone astray in the post. Use the online tracking system to follow the processing of your DBS certificate. Once marked as processed and dispatched, it should be with you in just a couple of days. Allowing for postal delays, if it hasn’t been received 14 days after the system tells you it has been sent out, then go online and request a reprint. If you’ve left it longer than three months to query why your DBS certificate hasn’t been received, then a reprint is not possible, and you’ll have to start the application process again. Any reprint has to be sent to the same address so if you are in the process of moving, ensure you have set up a post redirection with Royal Mail.

Lost After Receipt

If your DBS certificate has been received safe and sound and you’ve lost it at a later date, then you are unable to request a straight reprint. The only option in these circumstances is to start the process again, fill in another application form and send the relevant fee to the DBS. There will be another wait to have the checks done again and then a new certificate will be sent out. Employers are unlikely to want to pay the fee for another DBS check when the first has been lost, so take good care of your certificate when it arrives and show it to your employer as soon as possible.

DBS Update Service

The DBS acknowledges that many people work for a variety of employers over the course of a year or might have two or three part time jobs at once. The DBS Update service was introduced as the best way of keeping DBS checks up to date and helps employees get round the issue of delays in processing applications. The employee pays an annual subscription to the DBS, and once their initial check has been done, they are given a logon ID for the DBS computer system which they can share with an employer. The employer can then log into the applicant’s account, see what information the DBS holds about them and decide whether to make an employment offer based on what information they see. Applicants can also see who has accessed their information, and when.