Vetting and DBS

[catsandbooks]

Does anyone know how long a DBS takes to come through? I tried Google but there were lots of conflicting estimates. It was sent off by my employer on 12th January and I was told it would be posted to me but I have no idea how long it takes and I can't start my new job without it.

I think it depends on the type of DBS check they have applied for.

I have friends who work in schools and care homes and they took approx. a month or two.

It depends on a number of things:

• Was it a paper based or online DBS. Check (online can be back as quickly as 48hrs, paper based normally take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months!) I think they say they aim for 4-6 weeks iirc).
• Is there likely to be a disclosure on it, as this will hold up the process.
• Also different police departments can take longer than others, depending on the backlog of applications to process at any one time.
• This time of year is often busy too, as well as April - August when teachers tend to be on the move!

In my experience 2-4 weeks for a paper based form would be fairly standard. Online forms more like 1-2 weeks. Sorry that's probably not the news that you wanted to hear. I recruit for roles in a company where most roles require a DBS, so I feel your pain, DBS and references are such a pain in making a recruitment process very lengthy!

My last one took over 3 months to arrive. It needed to go through more than one police force including the Met who are apparently very slow (probably snowed under) The frustrating thing is that I had moved from the Met area just under 4 years before so they had nothing new to add. It was quite a difficult time as it meant I couldn't start work properly as (obviously and quite rightly) I needed an up to date DBS in place. It is more and more difficult to push things along these days as well apparently.