Child Safeguarding Requirement for DBS Enhanced Certificates

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Principle

The relevant principle stated in the CA Safeguarding Policy is to meet the safeguarding legal requirements and procedures (e.g. on Regulated Activities with children and the associated DBS checks).

The Government's Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) can check that, where appropriate, its members, volunteers or employees who wish to take up a role working with children do not have:
1. Any spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings.
2. Any information held by local police that's considered relevant to the role.
3. Any entry on barred lists.
This is usually achieved by obtaining an Enhanced DBS Certificate through the CA and registering it with the DBS Update Service. (See clauses 20-23 below if a DBS certificate is already held)

DBS Certificates are only current on the day they are issued, so, in the past, new certificates had to be obtained at least every three years.
To overcome this, the DBS now provides an additional DBS Update Service. This allows those who have a Certificate to keep it up-to-date and the CA to check the currency of the Certificate without having to repeat the DBS clearance process.
To register a certificate with the DBS Update Service, the subject of the certificate needs to register it within 28 days of it being issued.

Any role involving children requires an assessment to see if, or what level of, DBS clearance is required. The key factors are:
1. The exact nature of the role and responsibilities.
2. Whether that role will be supervised or unsupervised.
3. Whether the role is defined as 'regulated activity'.
In the context of a croquet club, Enhanced DBS checks are likely to be required if the role includes:
Coaching children (unless they are incidental to coaching adults).
Driving a vehicle specifically for children.
Taking children on a trip that involves an overnight stay unless the child's parent is present.
Moderating an Internet chat room used solely or mainly by children.

Further advice, including for other roles, can be obtained from the CA SO or the CA Office.
All roles involving regulated activity (see below) will require the highest level of DBS clearance, which is an 'Enhanced DBS check with a child-barred list check'. Other roles that do not meet the frequency or intensity requirement of a regulated activity, may require the lower level clearance of an 'Enhanced DBS check without a child-barred list check'.

Coaching children, driving a vehicle specifically for children, or moderating an Internet chat room are regulated activities if they are carried out once a week or more, or on 4 or more days in any 30-day period.
Any activity between 2am and 6am, including a single overnight stay, is a regulated activity.

All enhanced DBS checks have to be done through the 'employer' regardless of whether the role is being performed by a volunteer or an employee. For all croquet-related activity, the 'employer' is the CA. All enquiries should therefore be made to the CA Office.
You will be asked some questions about the exact nature of your role and will then be advised on whether you need DBS clearance and what level is required.
If an enhanced DBS check, with or without a child-barred list check, is required, you will be given the details of how your ID and address history for the last 5 years has to be verified, and the application process.
The CA uses an umbrella body, Access Personal Checking Services (APCS), to carry out checks and obtain the necessary DBS Enhanced Certificates from DBS on its behalf. The CA pays any administrative costs involved to ensure that the checks themselves are free for members.
While all applications for DBS checks are managed by the CA Office, the individual will have to fill out the application form themselves via APCS's website, and the resulting DBS Enhanced Certificate is held by the individual.

If the DBS certificate was obtained by the CA but the applicant did not register with the update service, then after 3 years they will have to repeat the DBS clearance process.
If the DBS certificate was issued by the CA but the applicant is now wishing to do another role, then they may have to have a new DBS check e.g. if they have previously had an enhanced DBS check because they did not meet the frequency requirement for regulated activity but they are now going to be coaching children once a week, they will require an enhanced DBS with child-barred check.
If the DBS certificate was issued by another organisation and it is at the same level and for a similar role as being requested (e.g. an enhanced DBS certificate with child-barring check for teaching or coaching children) and the applicant is registered with the update service, then that certificate can be accepted provided the certificate number, date of issue and date of birth are supplied and a check on the update service does not reveal any new information or advise another DBS check is made.
For any other circumstance, a new DBS check will be required.

The security features of a DBS Certificate may be found on the government website.