DBS checks are just a way for someone to make money

[Bitteroldshrew]

I have 5 active DBS certificates for various organisations. Every one requires the same information and the same rigmarole to complete. Every organisation requires their own DBS.

I am currently having to complete my 6th DBS despite having only had one done last month. This one is going to cost me £65 for the privilege and is another trip to the post office to get all my documents verified. A total waste of my time and money when they know already that I am safe to work with children as they've already checked it 5 times in the last 3 years and all of these are on record.

Who the hell comes up with this shit.

Because whilst I am primarily a volunteer with this particular organisation I do sometimes do some paid work around the activity (think volunteer every week but maybe do a day paid in the holidays for a specific event). They therefore classify me as self-employed.

Fuuuuuckit You've made my point for me. They are only valid for the day they are completed but I'm not required to redo for three years. That's three years of potential misdemeanors which noone would necessarily know about.

All the information is stored on a centralised database. I literally completed a DBS for a different organisation a matter of weeks ago. It is for the same category workforce. If that is good enough for 3 years that information can easily be shared without having to go through the whole process again.

This.

I ran DBS checks for a charity once, and the process is a real eye opener. The service we were using allowed 150 characters to describe the service we were providing, and the individual handling it then decided what sort of check we needed.

We ALWAYS wanted an adult and children's check due to the nature of our work, and we always used the same request info.

But the case handler would sometimes put it in as children, sometimes adults, sometimes both. Lord only knows what they did with the other scant details provided. I was always asking for changes.

It's nothing like what people imagine it to be.

I've had various DBS certs over the years, for voluntary things and employers, and no one has expected me to pay for it.

It is if you sign up to update service, which is free for volunteers.

Not all organisations accept the update service.

A DBS isn't supposed to prove someone is safe because thats impossible to do, its just a background check. You can never prove someone is innocent, only a probability of guilt.

I'm wondering why they don't accept the update service, did you question that?

If it is a requirement of your new employer to have a new DBS check then it should a cost borne by them. I'd be asking that on accepting a new job.