Shropshire Council

DBS process

The following is a step by step breakdown of what you can expect when applying for your DBS through the homes for Ukraine scheme.

  • You'll receive a link via the email address you used to register on the Homes for Ukraine scheme asking you to complete an online DBS application form
  • You'll also receive an email requesting the details (full name and email address) of anyone else in your home over the age of 16 who will also need a DBS check. They'll then receive a link as above separately to their email account
  • Once you've completed the application form and submitted it you'll receive an email from HomesforUkraine@shropshire.gov.uk. This will be from Stefanie Walczak or Rakhee Tailor at Shropshire Council requesting you to email through your three forms of ID
  • Once you've emailed your documents, they'll be checked by the Ukrainian DBS processing team to make sure that they're in date, match your application form and meet the government guidelines for DBS documents
  • If your documents aren't correct, you'll be contacted to provide further documents to support your application. Please note that this isn't a Shropshire Council decision - we're following the formal guidance. We can only accept the documents listed in government guidance, and can only accept paper original documents (no PDFs or e-documents can be used)
  • Once all the correct documents are in place you'll be moved on to the next stage
  • Someone from the verification team will contact you to arrange a video call via Microsoft Teams at your convenience
  • At the video call, you'll show the officer on the call the documents you've previously emailed to the verification team member. The officer on the Teams call will check that they're original documents and that they meet the government requirements
  • When all documents have been verified on the video call you'll move to the next stage. This is where your application is sent to all the relevant authorities for the enhanced DBS checks to be completed
  • Once all the checks are completed you will receive a paper copy of your completed DBS in the post. Shropshire Council will also receive notification of the outcome of your DBS and will update the government Homes For Ukraine scheme that this has come back

FAQs

I already have a DBS - can I use that?

Any current DBS certificates you hold for your job or those you have on the update system can't be used. A new DBS needs to be completed for the ‘post’ of Ukrainian host regardless of how recent your previous DBS check is.

I haven’t had a link to complete the DBS application form

There have been some people missing in the transfer from central government to Shropshire Council on the Homes for Ukraine scheme. If you haven’t received your link please email HomesforUkraine@shropshire.gov.uk with your full name and email address. The DBS application link is automatically generated through the DBS system. Due to this it may end up in the junk/spam folder of your emails - please check here for the link if you believe you haven’t received it.

Why are you requesting information about other people in my home?

The government guidelines state that all people over the age of 16 in the host's home need to be DBS checked. On the centralised system only the main host’s details are available, so if you're the main registered host you'll be asked to provide the full name and email address for anyone else in your home so that we can email them their own DBS application link to complete.

We're providing a completely separate flat/home/other living area from our main residence - do we still need to do DBS checks?

Government guidance has stated that even though the guests are not staying in the hosts main home everyone over the age of 16 will still need to be DBS checked.

How long will my DBS take?

We can't give a specific time frame for DBS applications to be complete due to every case being different. We're currently processing hundreds of DBS application and our team are working hard to do so as quickly as possible. However, currently they do seem to be coming back within a few days.

Can I do anything to make the process quicker?

There are a few things you can do to help move the DBS process along quicker:

  • Complete the application form as soon as you can
  • Have your documents ready to email and check them against the government guidelines to make sure that they're acceptable forms of ID
  • If you have other people in your home who are having a DBS check done as well you can arrange your video verification together as long as you have all provided your documents prior to the video call

Does my DBS need to be completed before my guests arrive?

Your guest’s arrival is not dictated by you having a DBS. Ideally, we'd like to check everyone in advance to safeguard guests and hosts but this isn't possible. If your guests have moved in and you still haven’t started the DBS process please let us know by emailing us.