What Are Adult First Checks?
An Adult First Check, also known as a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) Adult First Check, is a service offered by the DBS. An Adult First Check is designed to provide a preliminary indication of an individual’s eligibility to work with Vulnerable Adults in the care sector before the full results of their Enhanced DBS Check are available.
The purpose of an Adult First Check is to determine whether an applicant has been barred from working with Vulnerable Adults or is subject to any relevant restrictions or convictions.
This preliminary check is especially useful in situations where there is an urgent need to fill a position, and the employer cannot afford to wait for the full results of the Enhanced DBS Check, which can take longer to process.
Undertaking an Adult First Check means that you can start work under supervision while your employer waits for your Enhanced DBS Check to come back.
The Adult First Check involves a search of the DBS Adults’ Barred List to identify any potential matches based on the applicant’s details. There are three possible outcomes of an Adult First Check:
- No Match Exists: If there is no match found on the Adults’ Barred List, it means that the individual is not currently barred from working with Vulnerable Adults. In such cases, the person can begin work under supervision while awaiting their proper DBS certificate.
- Registered Body Must Wait for the DBS Certificate: If the details provided suggest a potential match on the Adults’ Barred List, further investigation is required to confirm whether the individual is indeed barred. In this scenario, the employer must wait for the full DBS Certificate before making a final recruitment decision.
Please bear in mind that this is only flagging up a potential match – the applicant is not necessarily a match. - Certificate Completed: When getting an Adult First check, you must also pay for an Enhanced DBS check. This result indicates that the Enhanced check has actually been completed before the Adult First check.
In this case, you must wait for the full DBS Certificate to be delivered, which shouldn’t take any longer to arrive than the Adult First results would have.
Two important things to note are that Adult First Checks are limited to use within the Healthcare Sector, and that there is no equivalent of an Adult First Check for working with children.
Conclusion – What Are Adult First Checks?
In conclusion, to answer the question, What are Adult First Checks? Adult First Checks offer a way to fast-track the recruitment process in situations where there is an immediate staffing need.
An Adult First check enables carers to start work under supervision before their DBS Check has been completed. An Adult First check is not a substitute for the DBS certificate.
If you are working in the Adult care industry, you will need to undertake an Enhanced DBS Check with Adult Barred list to be able to work unsupervised.
Further Reading
If we have managed to answer your question, What are Adult First Checks, and you have any further questions, we have answered many questions about DBS Checks, so you may find the answer below or in our dedicated blog section on the home page.
What DBS Check Do I Need To Be A Carer?
How Long Will My DBS Certificate Take To Arrive?
How Much Does A DBS Check Cost?
About The Author
Kellie Dawson
Kellie is our in-house legal expert when it comes to DBS checks. With a background in the legal sector, she has become a recognised authority in this area.