Student Guide to DBS

Staffordshire University uses a DBS online provider, Atlantic Data to manage the DBS application process.  

Once it has been identified that you will require a DBS check, you will be provided with a link to complete the application online through Atlantic Data.  This email will be sent from DBS@staffsuni.disclosures.co.uk

The links to the application will be sent to the email address that you have provided in your application, so it is important that you provide us with an email address that you regularly access.  Any communications relating to your DBS application will be sent to you using that email address.  This email will also contain your Username so you can access your application. 

We recommend that you regularly check your spam / junk email folder to ensure no important emails are mistakenly directed there.  

It is important that you engage with the process as quickly as possible.  Failure to complete your application in a timely manner will result in delays to starting your course and / or attending placement.  

If you have not received a link, please see the "Who do I contact if I have any queries?" section below to prevent any delays in you being able to start your course.

Student records are held on our records system, and we work to ensure that our internal processes are as inclusive as possible. DBS applications are completed with our external DBS provider, Atlantic Data, who manage the DBS process. Their system is built to the standards set out by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), and those standards mean that the information required for an application is restricted on some fields, including personal titles and gender.  To comply with their guidelines, it is important that your legal name and gender, as recorded on your official documents, match the options available in the online application. 

When you access your online application for the first time, you will need to register your account.  To activate your account, you will need to click on the highlighted link which will be in the email and add your email address and date of birth.  The email address you need to use is the one the email link has been sent to.  Once you have registered your account, you will be able to assess your application with the provided username and password. It’s important that you make sure that any details in this section are correct because mistakes can happen. If you submit your application with incorrect details, this will cause a delay in the process.   

The application link is time sensitive and will be automatically cancelled after a set period of time.  Therefore, it is essential that you complete your application as soon as possible to avoid delay.  You will receive regular reminder emails from Atlantic Data and the University warning you if you have not completed your DBS application.

 If you are worried that there may be something on your DBS certificate and are delaying in completing it, please email DBS@staffs.ac.uk as soon as possible to discuss this in more detail.  

If you have any queries about accessing or completing the application form, please see the "Who do I contact if I have any queries?" section below.

Queries about ID Documents

The documents which are required for an application are set by the DBS, and they are a legal requirement. If you have any questions about the ID documents that you can use in your DBS application, please see the official ID Checking Guidelines. We appreciate that sometimes applicants don't have some of the documents which are required, but you will need to get  these, otherwise you will be unable to apply for a DBS certificate, and therefore be unable to join your course. For example, if you only have online bank statements, you will need to contact your bank to request a paper copy.

It is strongly recommended that you keep a note of the which identity documents you use because you will need to reference and show these as part of your ID verification check. 

As part of your application, you will be asked to complete an ID verification check, which are managed by Atlantic Data.  Depending on the information you provide in the application, you may be asked to complete a Digital ID check as part of your application.  If a Digital ID check is not possible, you may be asked to complete a virtual ID check.  In either circumstance, you will be given instructions as part of the application which you will need to follow.  

Atlantic Data have a Digital ID Guide which explains what you need to do to complete the application.  You can find this on the application site.  You will need to click on your name and a pop-up box will appear: 

You then need to click on the option "Information" which will take you to another page.  On the Information page, you will need to click on the tab "Account Information": 

An option for the Digital ID Guide should be available for you to click on: 

If you have any difficulties with the Digital ID check, it is recommended that you contact Atlantic Data by emailing digitalsupport@atlanticdata.co.uk to ask for their advice.  You will need to explain what you have done so far and the difficulties that you are having so they can resolve it on their end.  It is recommended that you also provide any relevant screenshots so that they can see what the problem is. 

Once you have completed the Digital ID check, you will need to share your Digital ID.  To do this, you will be provided with a QR code in your online portal.  You need to scan the QR code using the camera on your mobile phone and then select the digital ID to share with Staffordshire University.  You will then need to do another liveliness check through your phone. 

Once you have shared your digital ID, you then need to submit your application by logging back into your application and agreeing to the declaration.  It is important that you remember to complete this final step, as your application will not be successfully completed until you have done so.   

I’m struggling to find the right documents for a Digital ID check

The ID documents requested through Atlantic Data are the legal requirements of a DBS application. These are set by the Disclosure and Barring Service themselves; the University and Atlantic Data have no control over this. The mobile app you downloaded as part of the application process will automatically take you through the ID selection process and will guide you based on your response to each question or ID request.

If you are unsure what documents you can use, you should check the guidance on the Disclosure and Barring Service's ID checking guidelines.

For a Digital ID check, you should only need a UK bio-metric passport and UK address details.

If you only have a non-UK passport, you’ll be asked to provide a driving licence as an additional document. A driving licence issued by any country can be used, providing it contains the mandatory data required. The Atlantic Data process will be able to establish this as you complete your application.

If a driving licence is unavailable, then you will likely need to provide one document from the list below:

1. 1. UK council tax statement - dated within the last 12 months
2. UK Utility bill - dated within the last 3 months
3. UK Bank/Building Society Statement - dated within the last 3 months
4. UK Credit Card statement - dated within the last 3 months
5. UK Mortgage statement - dated within the last 12 months

If you cannot provide any of the acceptable photo IDs, or do not have a UK address, then a digital ID cannot be achieved. This means that your ID will need to be checked through the virtual ID checking process.

Once your application has been successfully submitted, Atlantic Data will do a final check of your application prior to submitting it to the Disclosure and Barring Service.  If there are any discrepancies at this stage, Atlantic Data will query these with us.   

Once Atlantic Data are satisfied that all the information is present and correct, they will submit your application to the Disclosure and Barring Service. 

The Disclosure and Barring Service will process your application.  Please note that this stage can take between 2 to 10 weeks from the date of submission.  The University and Atlantic Data have no control over this stage, as it is being processed by the Disclosure and Barring Service, which is why it is essential that you complete the application as soon as possible to prevent delay in you being able to start your course. 

Once your application has been processed, the Disclosure and Barring Service will post out the physical certificate to your home address.  

When the Disclosure and Barring Service has issued your DBS certificate, the University will receive a notification that it has been dispatched.  As this is your certificate, it will be sent directly to you, and the University does not receive or see a copy of your certificate.  We will be notified if the certificate is clear so that you can be cleared for enrolment.    

If your certificate does not have any disclosures recorded on it, the University does not need to see a copy of it.    

However, if there is a disclosure on your certificate, you will need to provide us with a statement explaining what happened, what the caution / conviction was for and any mitigation that you can or want to offer.  This information is needed to determine your suitability to study on your course and proceed onto your chosen profession.  Please see the "Who do I contact if I have any queries?" section below for how to contact us about this.

It may be that we want to meet with you to discuss the disclosure at a Suitability Panel before your place on the course can be confirmed.  It is recommended that you be open and honest during this process as this will determine whether the University believes you to have the values, skills, knowledge and good health to work safely and effectively in your future profession.  You can find more information by going to the Fitness to Practice Procedure. 

If you do not receive your DBS certificate within 1 month of your application being submitted, please see the "Who do I contact if I have any queries?" section below as soon as possible.

Please ensure that you keep your DBS certificate safe and that you are aware of its location, as you may be required to present it when you commence placement.  If you have misplaced your certificate, please see the 'What do I do if I have lost/not received my certificate?'

The information given on the DBS Certificate depends on the type of check you have applied for.  

As the University requires an enhanced DBS check with Barred Lists, the following information will be shown: 

• Any spent and unspent convictions, subject to filtering. 
• Relevant police intelligence
• Barred Lists Information 

The filtering rules which apply are as follows: 

A conviction will be filtered if:

• 11 years have passed since the date of the conviction or 5 and ½ years if you were under 18 when you received the conviction;
• You did not receive a custodial / suspended sentence;
• It is not on the Specified Offences List. 

A caution will be filtered if:

• 6 years have passed since the date of the caution; and
• It is not on the Specified Offences List. 
• Any spent youth cautions are not disclosed. 

Please note, that the Police can still disclose information, if they believe that it is relevant and should be disclosed.  

You can find more information on the official DBS website.

If you have a current certificate, we will need to see a copy of this so that we can check that it meets with our requirements. Please see the "Who do I contact if I have any queries?" section below for more information on how to provide a copy of your certificate.

For your certificate to meet the University’s requirements, it must be: 

• An Enhanced Check
• For the right type of workforce for your course (child and / or adult)
• Issued within the last 3 months. 

If your certificate does not meet with our requirements, you will need to apply for a new one through the University.  

The Disclosure and Barring Service provide an Update Service which you can join if you have a standard or enhanced DBS certificate.  It costs £16 a year on an annual subscription, and it allows you to keep your DBS certificate up to date and allows employers or anyone entitled to do so to view it online. The University strongly recommends that you sign up to the Update Service once you have received your certificate.  Please note, that as this is a government service, this is at your own costs and the University will not pay for the annual subscription. 

Once you have received your certificate, you will need to register within 30 days of the issue date.  

You can find more information on the service and how to register by going to DBS Update Service.

If you are on the DBS Update Service, you do not need to keep reapplying for a new DBS certificate as long as no changes are identified, and the original certificate meets our requirements.  

We will need to see a copy of your original certificate so that we can check that it meets with our requirements.  Please see the "Who do I contact if I have any queries?" section below for more information on how to provide a copy of your certificate.

For your certificate to meet the University’s requirements, it must be: 

• An Enhanced Check
• For the right type of workforce for your course (child and / or adult)
• On the Update Service.  

Please don’t send a screenshot of the webpage, as this does not show us the information which we require.  

If you no longer have the original certificate, or it does not meet our requirements you will need to apply for a new one through the University. 

As part of your application for your course, you will have provided an International Police Check certificate or, if you have only lived in the Republic of Ireland, an Irish Garda certificate.  If this has been assessed as valid and meets the University’s requirements, you will not need to complete a UK DBS Check until you have arrived in the UK.  Once you have arrived in the UK and enrolled on your course, you will be issued with a link to complete a DBS application.  

If you have lived in the UK previously for any length of time prior to the start of your course, you will also need to complete a UK DBS check.

 Once you have completed your appliation and the ID verification process, this will be submitted to Atlantic Data for checking. This process is normally very quick, but sometimes this can take a little longer if they need to query some of the information which has been submitted. You can check the status of your application by logging into your Atlantic Data account.

Once Atlantic Data have completed their checks, they will send the application to the Disclosure Barring Service. You can use the Disclosure and Barring Service online services to check the progress of their checks.

The DBS application process is managed by our DBS provider, Atlantic Data directly with the Disclosure and Barring Service.

 Once your application has been submitted following the ID verification process, Atlantic Data will forward your application on to the Disclosure and Barring Service for them to complete their checks.  The University has very little influence over the process from this point. 

One of the checks that the Disclosure and Barring Service undertake is with the Local Police Force (LPF) and this is where delays can occur.  Unfortunately, there are no timescales on how long this part of the checks can take. This stage is normally completed very quickly, but occasionally, this can take up to 10 weeks or longer from the date your application has been submitted to the DBS. Your certificate will only be issued once all the relevant checks have been completed.  

Atlantic Data will follow-up with the Disclosure and Barring Service for updates on two occasions if there has been no movement on your application at the LPF stage.  We can seek updates from the DBS provider on two occasions.  

If the delays are impacting on your ability to either enrol or go on to placement, you will need to contact the Disclosure and Barring Service directly to see if they can expedite your application.  

You can do this by calling DBS Customer Services on 03000 200 190, selecting option 2 and then selecting option 2 again.  You will need to explain that the delay is causing you difficulties and disadvantaging your ability to study and provide the date that you need to have had your DBS certificate by, so for example, the course start date or placement start date.  The Disclosure and Barring Service will then conduct a further escalation, but this is at their own discretion. 

The  official DBS website also provides other means of contacting customer services.  

Having a criminal record does not necessarily prevent you from joining one of our Awards, everyone is assessed on a case-by-case basis.  

If there is a caution or a conviction on your certificate, you will need to provide us with a statement explaining what happened, what the conviction was for and any mitigation that you can or want to offer, as well as any supporting evidence such as supporting statements or a copy of a DBS certificate you may already have already. Please see the "Who do I contact if I have any queries?" section below for more information on how to let us know about this.

Once we have received your statement, we will consider the details fairly and consistently in line with the University’s Fitness to Practise Procedure. We will also ask the Head of Department to review the information and confirm the appropriate action, such as whether this needs further consideration at a Suitability Panel. 

If you have lost your DBS certificate or you have not received it in the post, you can normally request a DBS certificate reprint.  

The following criteria applies: 

• The certificate was issued more than 14 days ago, and you have not received it;
• The request has been made within 3 months of the date of issue; and
• The address to send the reprint certificate to matches the address on the application. 

 You can find more information by going the Official DBS Reprint Guide 

If the above applies, please see the "Who do I contact if I have any queries?" section below.  We will provide you with the completed Reprint Request Form to send to DBSReprints@dbs.gov.uk  We are not able to submit the form on your behalf. 

If you do not meet the criteria to request a reprint or you have lost your certificate, you will need to apply for a new enhanced DBS certificate.  Even though we will initiate a new application, this will be at your own cost and payment will need to be made to the University.  

Please note that for a replacement DBS certificate, you will be charged £48.33; this payment is inclusive of an administration fee.  

If you do not complete the DBS application within 3 months from the date the initial link has been sent to you, your application will be automatically cancelled.  

This may impact on your ability to either complete enrolment with the University or go out on placement.  It may also impact on your access to financial support as well as to your timetable for taught sessions. 

If you require a DBS check to attend a placement or voluntary opportunity as part of your studies, but this is not an assessed requirement of your course, you will need to confirm the level of check that is required.  

If the placement provider / voluntary organisation requests a basic or a standard DBS check, you can apply for this yourself.  You can find more information on how to apply for a basic or standard DBS check by going to the official DBS website.

If you have had a DBS certificate in the last 3 months but have since legally changed your name, for example through marriage or deed poll, you will need to apply for a new DBS certificate unless you are on the Update Service.    

If you legally change your name during the course, you might be required to apply for a new certificate. You will not be able to do this through the Update Service, but you will be able to link this to your Update Service account. 

Your application and ID documents need to match your current legal name, and you won't be able to apply with incorrect details. For example, if your name has changed through marriage or civil partnership, you'll need to make sure that you apply using your current legal name, and that your ID documents match this. We will be unable to complete an application without ID documents in your current legal name.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) offers a confidential checking service for transgender applicants in accordance with the Gender Recognition Act 2004. Please note, an applicant will need to contact the Disclosure and Barring Service directly to discuss using the confidential checking service, and they will still complete the same application form. You can find more information about this by going to the official DBS website.

If the answer to your query is not provided above, please use one of the following contact forms to request support: 

• If you have access to a Staffordshire University email address, please use DBS Support Request Form (Internal)
• If you do not have access to a Staffordshire University email address, please use DBS Support Request Form (External)

If your query relates to the online application form, please provide as much information as possible and provide any relevant screenshots about the issues you are having so that we can support you appropriately. 

If your query related to what ID documents you can use, please see ID Checking Guidelines. 

If you have a question about a DBS check for a member of staff, please contact AskHR@staffs.ac.uk for assistance.