Do staff working with young volunteers (under 18's and under 16's) need a DBS check? And would that just apply to the staff member who manages them?

Asked by Amy Dowling

Thanks for this one Amy. I’ll admit, you’ve hit on an area of volunteer management that I am not an expert on.

Twenty-five years ago I lived and breathed criminal record check whilst working for Barnardo’s, but my knowledge is somewhat rusty now. So I encourage anyone reading this answer who may have more up-to-date knowledge than me to chip in with how you tackle this issue.

With that said, here are some thoughts from me:

1. Always remember that criminal record checks (the Disclosure and Barring Service is only for England and Wales, different systems operate in N Ireland and Scotland) have limited value, especailly if they are the principle screening method employed by an organisation. You can read more about this in my 2021 blog post, “The trouble with criminal record checks on volunteers“.
   

2. From my brief searching, I have not found anything that legally requires paid staff working with young volunteers to undergo a DBS check (if I am wrong on this please leave a comment pointing to the correct information). It is, therefore, likely that any requirement will be a result of an organisation insisting that a check is conducted in order to satisfy their anxieties around risk.
   
   If that’s the case, what other risk management / screening can be done to minimise risk to young volunteers? A DBS check on it’s own won’t cut it (and may not even be allowed under DBS rules), so perhaps consider this excellent advice from the NSPCC on young volunteers and safeguarding that suggests a broader approach.
   

3. Being cynical for a moment, perhaps an organisational requirement to DBS check staff working with young volunteers is in place to pass the Daily Mail test. In other words, if something goes wrong, the organisation can try and defend themselves to the tabloid press by poitning out they did a DBS check and it was clear so it’s not really their fault.
   
   I mention this because it’s useful to know if the requirement being applied is out of a genuine safeguarding concern or a PR protection. If it’s the former the organisation should be happy to invest time and money in doing more than just as DBS check (see the NSPCC guidance mentioned above). If it is the latter then you can legitimately challenge the committment to safeguarding and help to educate colleagues to create a safer environment for young people to volunteer in.
   

4. Given all of the above, if a check was done, it would probably be a basic DBS check. This is one where the individual applies directly to DBS and the organisation has little to no cotrol over the information given and doen’t automatically see the result. Given how in my time at Barnardo’s I saw people try to work their way round the system to gain access to vulnerable yoiung people, these checks raise big concerns for me about their value as a tool to protect people..
   

5. As to the second part of the question, there are a couple of quick points I’d make.
   
   First, why only paid staff? Why not adult clients or customers that a young volunteer may encounter? If we are going to view any adult who might engage with a young person as a threat, then wouldn’t they all need checking? This, of course, begins to get ridiculous, but in doing so highlights an opportunity to genuinely question colleagues about why a DBS checking policy is being pursued and whether wider risk management approaches are needed too.
   
   Second, we need to remember that legislation is in place to protect offenders from unfair discrimination. So, whilst we have a safeguarding responsibilty, unless DBS guidance states otherwise, we also have a responsibility to not discriminate against those committed offences in the past, especially if those offences have no bearing on their risk to young people.
   

I think I’ll ll stop there as this is a huge topic and I could be here al day exploring the nuances of the issues involved. For example, I haven’t even touched on whether the young people are volunteering alone, as part of a peer group or even with their parents, which could put a whole different spin on the answer.

I hope my answer is helpful Amy, and that colleagues will chip in with their own experiences too.

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Now it’s over to you.

How would you answer Amy’s question?

Leave a comment with your ideas and don’t forget to ask your own question by emailing Rob now — rob@robjacksonconsulting.com, with the subject line “Ask Rob Anything“