Enhanced DBS Stuck at stage 4 for nearly 60 days!

[ArgoBargo]

Hi all,

I volunteer with school and scouts and my colleagues DBS checks tend to come back in a week while mine usually take about a month. I have the DBS update service with school but Scouts require a new check every five years.

I put in a few subject access requests after my last school new check in 2021 to try to understand why my checks consistently take longer than other people's but didn't get anything useful back.

For my scouts renewal I applied on the 27th of February but the application seems have been stuck at stage 4 - with the police - since the 8th of February! I've had to step back from scouting because my 5 years renewal date came and went on the 30th of March.

I tried calling 101 but they referred me to the DBS helpline which terminates with an answer machine. This whole thing is making me feel deeply paranoid. I have had diagnosed anxiety for most of my life and have come into police contact through this a couple of times where I've become very distressed in public but both of those incidents happened over ten years ago, neither led to a fine, caution or charges (the police are very fair and caring, to be fair) and I've had at least six enhanced blank DBS checks since, to be a magistrate, kids football coach, school and scouts without them taking so, so long!

I know that most people get them back in days but has anyone else out there had to wait this long? It's ruining my peace of mind!

Hi guys finally my Dbs were escalated after 60 days on the 21st of May 2023. It was completed stage 4 on the 27th of May and received it Today. It was so stressful by the way hope whose are waiting they get it asap. Thanks everyone for your valuable advice.

Mine took about 25 days and that was bad enough. I thought I would lose my job offer.

The ridiculous thing is that I already have an enhanced dbs currently but I can't use it across to new job. It's a crazy system and it's just luck how long it takes it seems.

@Begum16 Awwww great news! Finally!! It's sad that we actually HAVE TO ESCALATE IT for anything to progress further! Good luck xx

@roundtable same! I have mine on the update service but my new work place need to carry out their own.. Urhghhh. Need to wait another month before they will do anything about it. I gate stage 4 :(

Have you received yours SheBd3?

@Begum16 yes, finally! Mine came last week. The printing took forever. Well, I had another DBS done by another company that I have newly been employed by. It's the same old process all over again... Stuck on stage 4! It's almost been a month! Even though I have this DBS, this new company need to undertake their own.. I know it'll take forever... Hope they don't take back the job offer. Maybe I'm being paranoid lol x

I understand it must be frustrating for anyone. Hope you get the current DBS asap. Last year i applied for one it come within 4 weeks.

I applied for 1 on the same day as my husband. His took 10 weeks, mine took 18 weeks.

I've not even got a speeding ticket so no idea why mine should take so much longer.

My DBS took 4 months from September last year.

Currently on day 49 of waiting for my DBS for a NHS HCA role which I was offered and accepted in March, stuck on stage 4. Getting super stressed as money is running out, job centre say I'm not eligible for any help as I have a job offer therefore not looking for work and DH works and earns over minimum wage so not eligible for UC. Phoned local police station who say DBS checks have nothing to do with them which the opposite of what the helpline said earlier. Applied for countless part time roles but keep getting rejected when they see my CV history (corporate professional).
Am at my wits end.

Horsey - I used to work for DWP - you can get income related UC, you just have to say that you are available and looking for work, which you are (i.e. you aren't going to not look for / refuse a job because of the conditional offer).

Re DBS, it's rubbish but there really isn't anything you can do until it has been at stage 4 for 60 days. Then click the escalate button. The state is, quite literally, a law unto itself!

It will come through eventually. Hang in there.

I am in the same situation! Recently qualified as gp and was excited to start working but instead sitting at home waiting for dbs and now feeling anxious of the whole situation!
Hope you have got your dbs. What else did you try to expedite the process?

There's basically nothing you can do to expedite. Once it's been with them for 90 days you can click the escalate button and it'll probably come through soon after. Easier to say than to do but just don't worry about it.

@vinny13 Awww no! Unfortunately, you do have to wait 60 days before escalation. The only way that they may hurry it up is if you are a social housing tenenant and you can show proof of arrears (I think it's awful that it would have to get to this for people) otherwise, yeah, the waiting game :( mine finally came but I had to chase it up after 60 days! Think it came on day 75!

Mine has just hit the 60 days today-stressfully been waiting for this for the mortgage to be approved so I can get a firm start date. Now it has been 60 days, there is no obvious way to escalate online 😩 call centre is closed for the weekend and I can’t call first thing tomorrow as I’m on training. How have people escalated online? There isn’t a button or anything.

@Lpiper it has to be 60 days at stage 4 - i.e. 60 days with the police, not 60 days since you submitted it. You should be able to see the dates on the tracker. Once it hits 60 days at stage 6 a button will appear. It's a lb appalling system but I can't see it getting any better - there's no impetus for improvement.

@ArgoBargo , it has been 60 days on stage 4 but no button has appeared.

@LPiper Yeah it didn't appear on mine either. Sometimes it doesn't (great!) so you have to call them up 😫

@SbeBd3 Urgh great 😔. I will try and call when I can tomorrow, so frustrating. Housing company have agreed to extend exchange for a short period, but hoping it won’t take another couple of weeks as I’ve also got to get HR and the mortgage company to act in that time too!

May I ask what area of the country you are in?

@LPiper I'm in West Yorkshire. Whenever I used to call up to chase it up, they'd tell me that West Yorkshire police has a huge backlog! And yes, don't worry-after you call them up, they will chase it up for you! Not long now hopefully

This is happening to me at the moment. Mine have always been super quick in the past, but I have been at Stage 4 for nearly 2 weeks now.

@SbeBd3 yeah it seems to be quite widespread. I’m in London and it doesn’t seem unusual here, and my sister’s took over 6 weeks in a different part of the country. Will try and call tomorrow and chase everyday until it arrives, as I need it ASAP to make sure my house purchase doesn’t fall through!

I have to apply for job and won't to able to pay next mortgage it seems!
Would complete 60 days at stage 4 tomorrow. Will call them to chase again :(

I did one recently and it completed in one week.

Update-I've escalated today (a button appeared a day later) and also called. It's been marked as urgent due to the mortgage issue, so fingers crossed it gets moving!