Disclosure and Barring Service Checks (DBS)

An appropriate DBS check must be in place for any practical elements of your course involving contact with children and/or vulnerable adults. You can use the Government’s eligibility tool to check which level of check is required or please contact us for further information.

Please refer to the FAQs for DBS requirements after a break in study.

For some courses, it is a course requirement for students to have a particular DBS in place, ready for the mandatory modules where students will be in regulated activity with children and/or vulnerable adults:

Course Name	Level of DBS Check	Barred List(s)	Workforce	Online Update Service required?
Adult Nursing BSc (Hons)	Enhanced	Adult & Child	Adult & Child	No
Adult Nursing [pre-reg] MSc	Enhanced	Adult & Child	Adult & Child	No
Childhood - Primary Education with QTS BA (Hons)	Enhanced	Child only	Child only	Yes – for course duration
Children’s Nursing – BSc (Hons)	Enhanced	Adult & Child	Adult & Child	No
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Counselling MSc	Enhanced	Adult only	Adult only	Yes – for course duration
Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy BSc (Hons)	Enhanced	Adult & Child	Adult & Child	No
Diagnostic Radiography BSc (Hons)	Enhanced	Adult & Child	Adult & Child	No
Diagnostic Radiography (Pre-Reg) MSc	Enhanced	Adult & Child	Adult & Child	No
Mental Health Nursing BSc (Hons)	Enhanced	Adult & Child	Adult & Child	No
Midwifery BSc (Hons)	Enhanced	Adult & Child	Adult & Child	No
Paramedic Science BSc (Hons)	Enhanced	Adult & Child	Adult & Child	No
Physiotherapy BSc (Hons)	Enhanced	Adult & Child	Adult & Child	No
Radiotherapy and Oncology BSc (Hons)	Enhanced	Adult & Child	Adult & Child	No
Social Work BA (Hons)	Enhanced	Adult & Child	Adult & Child	Yes – for course duration

For the above courses, all students must complete a new DBS check at the start of the course and will be sent a link to login and complete their new DBS application.

Find out more about DBS costs 

An existing DBS check can only be accepted if it meets the course requirements (as listed above) and is currently registered on the Online Update Service, so a live check can be completed. If the existing DBS certificate does not meet the course requirements and/or is not registered on the Online Update Service, a new DBS check is required. Please see the Online Update Service section below for more information.

If you have lived outside of the UK for a year or more, you must also provide an overseas criminal record check; please see further details on the ‘Overseas checks’ tab below.

Employers must complete a DBS agreement (provided by the University of Suffolk) confirming an appropriate DBS check is in place and that safer recruitment checks have been completed. The DBS check must be no older than 3 years by the time the course is completed.

This applies to the following courses:

• Adult Nursing [Degree Apprenticeship] [2 Year] BSc (Hons)
• Adult Nursing [Degree Apprenticeship] [4 Year] BSc (Hons)
• Early Years & Primary Practice BA (Hons)
• Early Years & Primary Practice FdA
• Health and Wellbeing (Nursing Associate) FdA
• Health and Wellbeing (Nursing Associate) [higher apprenticeship] FdA
• Mental Health Nursing [Degree Apprenticeship] [2 Year] BSc (Hons)
• Mental Health Nursing [Degree Apprenticeship] [4 Year] BSc (Hons)
• Midwifery BSc (Hons) [Shortened]
• Non-Medical Independent and/or Supplementary Prescribing (V300)
• Social Work [degree apprenticeship] BA (Hons)
• Specialist Practitioner - District Nursing PgD

Usually, a new DBS check is completed for the placement. A new DBS check can be completed through the University if required. The cost is usually covered by the student. The Government eligibility questionnaire will need to be completed to ensure the correct level of check is carried out.

Any questions on the DBS process for students (Ipswich campus) should be sent to DBS@uos.ac.uk.

All students completing a new enhanced DBS check will be required to pay the following fees:

Identity check: £12.00 – Paid directly to the Post Office

Enhanced DBS check: £54.30 – Paid as part of the application

Online Update Service (where applicable): £16.00 – paid to the DBS Government Office upon sign up.  Please note that this is an annual fee that enables the University and placement partners to complete a live check on your DBS status.

• Costs of standard or basic DBS checks, where suitable for the course, will be provided upon request.

NB:  the cost of DBS applications (including ID verification checks) cannot be refunded; therefore, you will need to ensure that details of your application are accurate. Please contact us if you have any questions relating to your application.

Your DBS application will be automatically withdrawn if it has not been completed and sent to the Government within 60 days. If you do not complete your DBS application in a timely manner, this may mean you need to pay for another DBS check to meet your course requirements, as any payments made are non-transferable.

The Online Update Service is run by the Government; please refer to their guidance on whether you might be entitled to a refund on their website.

If you have lived abroad for more than a year you will need to provide an overseas criminal record check (this may be required from multiple countries if applicable). We recommend you get your overseas check before coming to the UK, where possible. 

Your overseas check must be translated into English by a certified translator. Where a hard copy is produced, you must provide the original document.

Access a list of countries and how to apply for your overseas criminal record check.

All DBS certificates are considered fairly, and just because you have a criminal record, this does not automatically mean you will not be allowed into practice/onto the course.

We expect you to be open, honest, and transparent about anything in relation to your criminal record and/or good character which could affect your ability to attend practice as you apply for the course, or if anything occurs whilst you are on it.

You should declare your convictions when asked for these by our Admissions team. This will then be considered by a Criminal Convictions Panel to assess whether you will be able to attend practice/continue with the course. Your DBS certificate must also be reviewed (we will need to see the original to review what has been declared on there).

If something occurs during your study, you must inform the University immediately by contacting safeguarding@uos.ac.uk as well as your course leader. You will be asked to complete the declaration form to explain what happened, which will be considered by the University’s Criminal Conviction Panel. You may also need to complete a new DBS check.

To check your DBS certificate on the Online Update Service, it must meet your course requirements as defined above. Then, we must verify your original DBS certificate (the physical certificate, not a copy) and you must complete an online consent form to allow us to check this. Please contact us if you have a DBS certificate you need us to check.

The Online Update Service allows a live check on your DBS status. Further details can be found on the Government website.

The Online Update Service enables a live check of the status of an existing DBS certificate. There is a legal obligation that the University only complete checks to the level required for the course. Any existing certificates registered with the Online Update Service that fall below or above the course requirements (including Barred Lists) cannot be used for your study. Therefore, a new check will be required, if you are unsure about your existing certificate please contact the University DBS Team.

I have accepted my course offer. When will I be contacted to complete my DBS?

Once the conditions of your offer have been met and the offer has been accepted, the University’s DBS Team will contact you no earlier than 3 months prior to your course start date to begin the DBS process.

If you have started a course which requires a DBS check (please see the section above for a list of courses) and have not heard from us, please raise a ticket via Minerva (our communication system, which you can access once you are a University of Suffolk student).

Can I start my placement once I receive my DBS certificate?

The University of Suffolk DBS Team will confirm when you have completed the DBS process. You must, however, wait to hear from the Placement Team and/or your Course Leader before entering placement. This is because there may be other things besides your DBS check which need to be in place first.

I have spent time travelling/living abroad. Do I need to provide anything extra besides my UK DBS check?

If you have lived abroad for more than a year you will need to provide an overseas criminal check (this may be required from multiple countries if applicable). Please see ‘Overseas checks’ above for further information.

I have lost my DBS certificate; can I get a copy?

The University of Suffolk does not keep copies of your DBS certificate and the Government does not usually issue a re-print. The University of Suffolk may, however, be able to provide you with the main details of your DBS certificate. All requests for these must be made from your student email address to: DBS@uos.ac.uk

DBS requirements after a break in study

Where a DBS check is a requirement for the course, a new check will need to be completed if the break in study has been for a year or more.  The new check should be in place prior to returning to the course.  You will not be permitted to return to or start a placement until the University DBS Team has verified your DBS status.

Students will be responsible for paying for all associated costs for a new DBS check; you can find details of costs in the section above.

If your existing DBS is registered with the Online Update Service and continues to meet the course requirements, we will request permission to check the live status of your DBS check and will confirm once the process has been completed. If the Online Update Service has been allowed to lapse, then a new DBS check will be required.

If you are on a work-based learning course and have had a break from study for a year or more, your placement setting will need to complete a new DBS agreement ready for your course return.

Name changes

If you have changed your name, you may need to complete a new DBS check in your new name, particularly if your DBS certificate is registered on the Online Update Service. Please contact us on DBS@uos.ac.uk to check.

Do you do DBS checks for staff and student ambassadors?

No – POD (our People and Organisational Department) manages DBS checks for all staff. The Student Ambassador team manages all DBS checks for student ambassadors.

Annual Declarations:

To confirm ongoing suitability for your study, some courses will require an annual declaration of good health and good character to be completed. 

These declarations will take place at the enrolment stage of each academic year, however as per any course requirements it remains the responsibility of the learners to inform the University of any changes.

Throughout the period of study, (including any periods where a break in study is taken), students and apprentices must declare any changes in their health and character to the course lead and the safeguarding team.

Do I need to declare any changes to my criminal convictions status while studying?

If you need to declare something which could impact your ability to practice (or study), please contact the Safeguarding Team immediately: safeguarding@uos.ac.uk

For student DBS queries, please raise a ticket via Minerva.

For all external enquiries (including if you are still in the process of being accepted onto a course), please contact: DBS@uos.ac.uk