Updated 15 June 2025
What is a DBS Certificate?
A DBS certificate (formerly CRB check) is an official document issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service in England and Wales, detailing an individual’s criminal record, including cautions and convictions. It is primarily used by organisations to assess suitability for employment or volunteering in roles, especially those involving work with children or vulnerable adults.
There are 4 levels of DBS certificate – Basic, Standard, Enhanced and Enhanced with Barred Lists.
A person may apply for a Basic certificate themselves but all other levels may only be applied for by an organisation. Note that it is unlawful for an person or organisation to apply for a DBS certificate at a particular level unless the role that they are undertaking requires it at that level.
An Enhanced DBS check is the highest level of criminal record check in the UK, used for roles working with children or vulnerable adults. It reveals spent/unspent convictions, police cautions, and relevant local police information.
DBS certificates have a 12 digit certificate number. Certificates issued in 2025 and 2026 have are all in a number range starting 0019.
People who work or volunteer in more than one organisation may have a certificate for each organisation. Or an organisation may consider that a certificate obtained elsewhere may be suitable … provided it is proved to be up to date …
What is the DBS Update Service?
A DBS Certificate is accurate on the date of issue but is immediately out of date.
The DBS Update Service is an online subscription (free for volunteers) that allows individuals to keep their Standard or Enhanced DBS certificates up to date and reuse them for new roles in the same workforce. It eliminates the need for repeat background checks, offering faster recruitment and instant status verification for employers.
Update Subscription numbers are 10 digits prefixed with a letter C. Mine starts C64 but I don’t know how the numbers are allocated.
If someone has more than one DBS certificate, all may be registered under the same Update Subscription Id.
Note that a DBS certificate can only be registered with the DBS Update Service within one month of date of issue.
Subscription Ids must be renewed annually (free for volunteers) – users get a reminder one month before the subscription expiry date, and the renewal starts from the date of expiry.
There is a feature of the Update Service that an organisation may make an online check on a person’s DBS status using the person’s surname, date of birth and certificate number. Note that it is unlawful for an organisation to do this without the person’s permission.
DBS Requirements for Valley Striders to train at GSAL
GSAL have requested that all coaches / group leaders for Valley Striders at GSAL have the Enhanced DBS check with Barred Lists. They also require Valley Striders to affirm that their certificates are up to date i.e.no convictions etc since the certificate was issued. This means that the certificate must be registered with the DBS Update Service.
For each session at GSAL we need at least one person per group with the requested level of DBS. We will normally have 5 groups, sometimes 6 at 6pm and normally 2 or 3 groups at 7pm so we need around 10 in total.
We can’t get these from England Athletics because they say that DBS is only needed for Run Leader and Athletics Coach qualifications.
But DBS certificates can be obtained via one of many agencies and organizations, known as DBS Umbrella Bodies or Registered Bodies, who are authorized to verify and process DBS certificates and applications on behalf of employers
One of these is a local charity, “Learning Partnerships”, who organise volunteers to help children in schools to read. They are able to receive, verify and forward DBS application requests from other organisations for processing. And at a reasonable cost compared with some of the online agencies I found.
If you’ve already got a DBS certificate
- Do you have your paper certificate?
- Does it show that it is an Enhanced certificate for Child Workforce with a check on the Child Barring List
- Are you subscribed to the DBS Update Service?
- Has the certificate you’ve referred to been added to your account
If you can answer Yes to all the above questions, then skip to the section “I’ll check your Certificate”. It I find that it doesn’t have everything that GSAL needs then come back to “To obtain a new DBS Certificate”
Otherwise you’ll need to obtain a new certificate via Learning Partnerships.
To obtain a new DBS Certificate
Note that you may only apply for DBS if you are a leader; it is unlawful to apply for DBS for a role that doesn’t need it.
The local charity I mentioned are “Learning Partnerships” and they are in Harehills in the old Burton’s offices near St James’ Hospital. Postcode is LS9 7DN.
Please arrange to visit them. Gail Clark is the DBS Officer at Learning Partnerships. Email her to arrange a mutually suitable date and time (she works part time) [email protected] .
You will need several items of ID
- Passport
- Driving licence (photo version)
- Birth certificate (optional)
- Document with National Insurance number on (e.g. payslip or tax code notification)
- Proof of your current address by means of any official letter sent to you in the last 3 months – could be a utility bill or bank statement.
The Certificate is free for volunteers but you’ll need to pay their processing fee of £20. I’m not sure whether they have a credit card machine. I paid by bank transfer but this may delay the process. I will then reimburse you from the Valley Striders bank account with the £20 plus £5 petrol/subsistence.
When applying for the DBS, there are a four boxes where the wording is critical
- Position applied for – CHILD WORKFORCE VOLUNTEER GROUP LEADER
- Name of employer – VALLEY STRIDERS ATHLETICS CLUB
- DBS Children’s Barred List Check – REQUIRED
- DBS Adults’ Barred List Check – NOT REQUIRED
Tracking your Application Form (optional)
- If you’re already registered with the DBS Update Service, login to https://secure.crbonline.gov.uk/crsc/subscriber using your Service account number (it will be a “C” and 10 digits) and your date of birth, this will give a screen where you can then add your Application Form to your account
- If you’re not already registered with the DBS Update Service then use this link
https://secure.crbonline.gov.uk/crsc/apply,
click in the acknowledgement box and press Continue
then fill in the form, including your Application Form Number
Remember to write down your account number (“C” and 10 digits) somewhere safe e.g. a post-it note (and then on the back of your Certificate when it does arrive).
When your Certificate arrives
If you had already registered your Application Form then log into your account
https://secure.crbonline.gov.uk/crsc/subscriber and you should now see your Certificate.
If you hadn’t registered your Application Form then ….
- If you’re already registered with the DBS Service, just use option 1 above but you will be able to add your Certificate (instead of adding an Application Form) with the option that’s in blue text “Use my Certificate number instead”
- If you’re not already registered with the DBS Service, just use option 2 above but you will be able to add your Certificate (instead of adding an Application Form) with the option that’s in blue text “Use my Certificate number instead”
I’ll check your Certificate
I do need to do “see” your Certificate to check that it is the correct level and I do need to do an online check of your Certificate to see that it is up to date.
Please will you send me a photo of your Certificate. I need to see that the “Position applied for” includes “Child Workforce”, that the “DBS Children’s Barred List Information” says “None Recorded” rather than “Not Requested” and that it does say it is an “Enhanced” Certificate.
Please also put in your email your Certificate number and date of birth as these are not always easy to read.
Please email to [email protected] (not to either of the juniors email addresses as there are others with access).
I will then do a check using the DBS Update Enquiry feature on the GOV.UK website.
The small print says that you “authorise me to receive update information (within the meaning of section 116A of the Police Act 1997) in relation to your criminal record Certificate for the purposes of asking an exempted question within the meaning of section 113A of the Police Act 1997, or in relation to your enhanced criminal record Certificate for the purposes of asking an exempted question for a prescribed purpose within the meaning of section 113B of the Police Act 1997.”
None of this information will be passed to GSAL.
During the week of 9 September (our last session at GSAL) I will delete from my records all the information I have received from and about you including your Certificate number and your date of birth.
Thank you!!
Background
In 2025 GSAL introduced additional safeguarding requirements for hirers of their facilities. This follows some new government legislation in 2024.
On their form for us to book the athletics track was a new question as follows “If working with children/vulnerable adults, please confirm that you and all your staff/ volunteers, providing or offering a service on your behalf during the hire period, have had an enhanced DBS Check, including a ‘children’s barred list’ check and subscribe to the DBS Update Service at the point of renewing their DBS Certificate and maintain their registration at all times during the Hire Period”.
We have 25 to 35 parents volunteering each week and it appeared to be a deal breaker because it was unreasonable and impractical to get DBS for all these people.
And how it works at GSAL
I have negotiated that we only need a leader in each group leaders to have DBS and that for safeguarding purposes all the other volunteers are working under their supervision.
At this stage don’t panic that I’m now going to give any of you full responsibility for leading a group and organising volunteers and leading activities and safeguarding.
Please read the “ARRANGEMENTS” section of this page that I’ve just put on the website.
https://www.valleystriders.org.uk/juniors-training-at-gsal-2026/
Each group will now have 3 leaders and the responsibilities listed above will be shared by these 3 leaders. Those with DBS will look after safeguarding but the other leaders will do most of the rest. Those with DBS are designated “Main Group Leader” as this is the job title I’ve agreed with GSAL.
Tess Freer, who has kindly volunteered to be Welfare Officer for the junior section of Valley Striders, will give you a briefing before the session on Tuesday.
Bob