One of the biggest shortfalls of DBS checks is that they only disclose UK criminal record information. If your applicant is from, or has lived abroad, a DBS check won’t offer any insight into their non-UK criminal history.
All that said, it’s still a legal requirement to get DBS checks for non-UK citizens before they start work in many roles, even if they’ve only been in the country for a few weeks.
“Why do I need DBS checks for non-UK citizens if they’ll only disclose a couple months’ criminal record history?”
Even though it may seem a bit redundant, if the role you’re hiring for legally requires a Standard or Enhanced DBS check, you’ll need one for your staff, no matter how long they’ve been in the country for.
For example, we often process Enhanced DBS checks for care staff who have only been in the country for a couple of months. Because of the small amount of time they’ve been in the country for, it’s less likely that these checks will disclose any information, but they’re still a legal requirement.
DBS Checks For Non-UK Citizens: Overseas Checks
Although there is no requirement written in law stating that employers need to conduct background checks on staff who have lived outside the UK, they do have a legal responsibility to safeguard vulnerable groups they work with. An excellent example of this in practice is the requirements the DfE has for schools, which we’ll go into here:
In the Department For Education’s safeguarding guidelines, they state that:
- “schools and colleges must make any further checks they think appropriate so that any relevant events that occurred outside the UK can be considered.”
So while it doesn’t explicitly say staff who have lived outside the UK require background checks, any school that were to accidentally hire an unsuitable candidate without checking their overseas criminal history would be in big trouble if it ended up causing safeguarding issues. Although every regulatory/governing body will have different rules and guidelines, they tend to have the same attitude as the DfE.
Getting overseas criminal record checks for staff is definitely a good idea if you want to maintain high standards of safeguarding!
DBS Checks For Non-UK Citizens: What can Aaron’s Department offer?
Aaron’s Department has years of experience providing DBS checks for non-UK citizens!
Our online application service is designed for ease-of-use, and is heavily automated to streamline the process and prevent application mistakes. It’s also affordable, with no sign-up fees, subscriptions, or surprise payments. Simply pay for the checks you need, when you need them!
You can use the button below to register with us or book a demonstration session, or have a browse of the site to find out more. And if you’ve any questions, feel free to get in touch at contact@aaronsdepartment.com – we’ll get straight back to you.
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Further Reading
If you’ve found our post, “Getting DBS Checks For Non-UK Citizens” useful, these might be of interest too:
- What is an ACRO police check?
- Is it illegal to work without a DBS check?
- What is needed for a DBS check?
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.