Can I Pass a DBS Check With A Criminal Record?

Applying for a DBS check can be a worry for some, especially those with some kind of criminal record. Let’s clarify what DBS checks include, the information they reveal, the evaluation process, and the potential implications for job applicants and volunteers.

Can I Pass a DBS Check With A Criminal Record?

First thing’s first, DBS checks are NOT pass-or-fail assessments!

In other words, the outcome of your DBS check will not say you’ve passed or failed the process!

A minor, historic, or unrelated conviction to the position you’re applying for doesn’t necessarily or automatically disqualify you from potential employment. A DBS check simply highlights specific offences and convictions recorded on your criminal record.

Information Shown In Different DBS Checks

Basic DBS Checks

A Basic DBS Check discloses any unspent convictions, cautions, or reprimands. Click the link for a guide to how convictions become spent.

Standard DBS Checks

The Standard DBS Check provides more comprehensive information from your criminal record. It is typically used for positions involving a high level of trust, such as legal and financial positions. They disclose both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, warnings, and reprimands. There’s no time limit, so for example, even a minor offence committed 45 years ago would be shown.

Enhanced DBS Checks

An Enhanced DBS Check discloses spent and unspent conditions, cautions, warnings, and reprimands, as well as additional data from local police force(s) that may be pertinent to the position you’re applying for.

Enhanced DBS Check (with Barred List)

The Enhanced DBS Check with Barred List is the most comprehensive DBS check available. It incorporates everything found in an Enhanced DBS Check, in addition to cross-referencing the applicant with the government’s Barred Lists.

The Barred List is a database of individuals prohibited from working with vulnerable groups, such as children, the disabled, or people undergoing healthcare, due to past offences related to these groups.

If you are barred from working with a vulnerable group, it is illegal for you to work, or be hired, for a role that involves working with that group.

Summary – Can I Pass a DBS Check With A Criminal Record?

So, can I pass a DBS check with a criminal record?
Yes, because there is no passing or failing a DBS check!

If you do have a criminal record, a minor conviction unrelated to the position you’re applying for doesn’t automatically disqualify you from potential employment. It is up to the employer to make a judgement based on the information disclosed on your check.