Do I need a DBS check?

As part of the FA safeguarding children strategy, The FA requires anyone aged 16 years or over who undertakes any potentially unsupervised roles working directly with children and young people under the age of 18 to pass a DBS Check. This is in line with legislation and government guidance and is standard practice.  

We provide the framework and guidance for DBS Checks in football. The leagues and clubs then have to implement this to ensure those required to have DBS Checks done have them.  

Roles requiring an FA DBS check include managing, training, coaching and supervising as well as giving advice or guidance on wellbeing, caring for children or driving a vehicle solely for children on behalf of a club or organisation.

The FA require the check to be an enhanced check, approved by the FA, and conducted within the previous three years.  

Transferring a DBS from another organisation

DBS checks are only transferable if you have signed up for the Update Service, which you must do within 14 days after receiving the initial DBS certificate. Once you register successfully to the Update Service, your DBS check is portable between jobs.

The service allows you to keep your information updated and gives employers the opportunity to check it whenever they please.

There are many benefits to this. You will not need to apply for a new DBS check with every new job you apply for, and the employer can easily find out any information that has changed regarding your record immediately. The cost is £13 to sign up and for the FA you need to renew your check every three years at a cost of £10.

However, if the FA requirement is a higher level DBS check, you will not be able to transfer your check from your other role. The DBS check must match the role applied for, as the information will help to outline the details of what can and cannot be viewed by the employer.

It is possible, in very rare circumstances to ‘port’ your DBS across to the FA. This is if the DBS you have is through an approved organisation and is for exactly the same role that you need it for in your club/league.

The Criminal Records Disclosure Certificate you wish to port to The FA must exactly match the requirements of the role within The FA. For the majority of roles within The FA this will be an Enhanced level check with a check against the DBS Children’s Barred List with ‘Child Workforce’ detailed within the position applied for.

The attached document from First Advantage explains the process.

More Information

If you need any further support on this topic, please contact us via the Support Hub.

For more information about Safeguarding, please visit www.Berks-BucksFA.com. Alternatively, find us on socials @berksandbucksfa for the latest news and updates.