At Aaron’s Department, our DBS online applications are processed using our online checking service, which is directly connected to the UK Government‘s Gateway. This ensures all the online DBS checks you need are easy to apply for, and are dealt with in a fast manner.
How can you keep track of your application once we’ve sent it to the DBS? Our DBS online system keeps you up-to-date with every stage of your – or your employees’ – DBS check through email updates and your online portal. Whether your DBS is getting started at Stage 1, getting held up at Stage 4 (what a nuisance), or being posted out, you’ll know as soon as it happens.
DBS Online Service Benefits
So, what DBS benefits will you feel when using Aaron’s Department DBS online service?
What Types Of Online DBS Checks Can Employers Get?
At Aaron’s Department, we offer the following types of online DBS Checks (formerly known as CRB Checks):
Online Basic DBS Check
As the name suggests, this is the most basic level of checking! It contains the details of any unspent convictions or conditional cautions the applicant has.
This level of DBS check can be requested by anyone.
Online Standard DBS Check
This DBS check contains information on cautions, warnings, and reprimands, as well as any spent and unspent convictions.
Unlike a Basic DBS check, a Standard DBS check can only be applied for by an employer, for an employee.
Online Enhanced DBS Check – With Or Without A Barred List Check
This Enhanced DBS check includes all the previous checks from a Standard check: cautions, warnings, and reprimands, and any spent and unspent convictions. As well as this, Local Police Forces can also add any information that they feel is relevant to the applicant and their DBS check.
Should the job role require it, Enhanced DBS checks can also include a search of the DBS’s Children and/or Adult Barred List, which says whether the individual is allowed to work with Children/ Vulnerable Adults.
Online Adults First Check
As a part of the Enhanced DBS check with the barred list, the Adult First check (previously known as an ISA Adult First or POVA) can be done (if requested) during stage 3 of the DBS checking process.
When requested, the result is usually returned in 48 hours. If it comes back clear, the person in question can start working under supervision. If not, they will have to wait until the certificate is issued.
This is the perfect solution when you need to get your staff into work quickly, but cannot wait for the full check to be completed!
More information about a DBS online check, be it Basic, Standard or Enhanced, can be found on our DBS check page.
With Aaron’s Department, you can take advantage of our tracking service, to see where your DBS check is at all times.
If you prefer to do DBS checks the old-fashioned way, you can read about our Paper vs Online Checks, or our pricing structure for paper applications
The DBS Checking Process Explained
Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of the online DBS checking process?
We’ll tell you what happens during each stage below!
Step 1: The DBS Application is Received
When the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) receive an application, they will check for any errors or omissions. If any are found, it is returned to our Countersignatories, however, as we put the upmost care into our work, this is very unlikely to happen. It may also be returned if the DBS has any questions or clarifications regarding the DBS form.
Step 2: The DBS Application is Received
The applicant’s data is compared against details held on the Police National Computer, identifying possible matches.
Step 3: Children’s and Adult’s Barred List Search (If Required)
If eligible for the applicants’ role, the Children’s and Adult’s Barred List check will be searched. This will tell you whether the individual is allowed to work with Children/Vulnerable Adults.
Step 4: (Only for Enhanced Checks) Local Police Record Check
At this stage, the form is sent securely to any relevant local police forces for a check against their local records.
Step 5: The DBS Certificate is Printed!
Once all the information has been found and checked, the DBS certificate is ready. All the information that is disclosed is printed under highly secure procedures and then posted to the applicant’s address. Only the applicant can reveal the information contained on the DBS certificate. However, our online system can tell you the result of the DBS check: whether it came back clean, or if you should wait to see the information on the certificate.
Not all DBS checks go through the same stages –
Use this flowchart to tell which stages yours or your employees’ will need to go through:
What Happened to CRB Checks?
In 2012, the Criminal Record Bureau UK (CRB) merged with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) then took over the role of providing background checks. This means that DBS checks and CRB checks are functionally identical; however, while CRB checks are still legally valid documents, they are by now over a decade old, so it is strongly recommended not to accept CRB checks from prospective employees.
The DBS is a non-departmental public body of the Home Office of the United Kingdom. Aaron’s Department is a DBS Umbrella body providing an Online DBS service to organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors.
DBS Update Service
The DBS Update Service lets applicants keep their Standard and Enhanced DBS checks up to date. It costs £13 per year and starts from the day of the DBS certificate issue date.
More information on the DBS Update Service can be found on our dedicated page, linked here: The DBS Update Service
Additional Information and Help
Aaron’s Department is a DBS Umbrella body providing DBS Online Disclosures (DBS) to organisations, businesses, and employers in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Obtaining a Basic, Standard or Enhanced Criminal Record check UK (DBS check) helps identify candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work, especially that which involves children or vulnerable adults.
To help you with any questions you may have regarding your Online DBS application, we have plenty of information on our in-depth FAQ page, or if you’d like to learn more about Aaron’s Department, you can do so on our about page.
More specific step-by-step guides for each account type are available once you have created an account and logged in.
Get Started Today
You can sign up now for free, and start using our quick and easy online DBS service, supported by our fantastic team!
What Our Customers Have to Say
“Fantastic service for the DBS. A speedy efficient service. I will always use this company for my Applications.”
Rachel Green