DBS Check - Care Assistant

[RJ22]

Good afternoon,
I had my first job offer as care assistant a couple of days ago. The job offer stats that the start date and employment contract will follow on receipt of my enhanced DBS check. I have provided ID documents and address history this week. Do you know how long does it take to get this DBS check and if this has any backlog due to Covid-19? I have no criminal history so my DBS will come clean, would this speed things up? However it is my first time applying for DBS so maybe it will take longer... I saw there is a way to track the application. Should I contact my employer and ask for the application number? I have been made redundant from my previous position so I am so worried that if this take several months I will have no income meantime.
If you could share your input and experiences, it would be great :)

IME it can vary, but I've always found them to be reasonably quick. It comes to you directly (I think). Also this shouldn't be a pinch point (I always think it's slower in august / September because new nurses, new teachers etc are applying en masse, but that might just be perception!) so it might be reasonably quick.

The other thing to consider is to do the annual fee (it's ?£10-20), which is an annual update that moves with you rather than having to have a new one if you change jobs. That can mean a quicker turnaround for the future.

In my experience, it takes longer the more addresses you’ve had.

It varies depending on a number of things, including the time of year (eg mass medical recruitment), how many areas you've lived in etc. You can check how rapidly police forces are turning round their part of the checks here:

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dbs-performance

Also a single error in the application can delay things hugely so hopefully you filled it in very carefully! I'd guess at 2 - 4 weeks max for an enhanced check.

Thank you very much for your replies. I didn't fill it in, my employer just asked me for my passport, driving license and addresses of the past 5 years , so I assume they will fill it in and submit it.