- Overview
- Club Applications
- Post Office Applications
- Sensitive Applications
- Welfare Officers
- DBS Update Service
- Port a DBS Certificate
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check must be completed by anyone who meets the government's definition of ‘Regulated Activity' or British Canoeing's definition of ‘Regular Activity' as detailed in the Paddle UK Disclosure Policy.
A deployer or employer is legally responsible for ensuring their volunteer or member of staff has completed the appropriate DBS check before being deployed in their role.
Remember that a disclosure check is only one part of the recruitment and vetting process and no system is fool proof. Ideally you should not rely on just this one system to help create a safe environment. See Recruitment and Selection of Individuals Working with Children for more information.
Information for Coaches
Coaches do not require a DBS Certificate to meet the Paddle UK Coach Update requirements, or to complete any coaching qualifications.
The DBS eligibility requirement is linked to an individual's specific role and the frequency and intensity in which they carry out that role. Therefore, coaches may be required to undertake a DBS check by their deployer or employer in line with the type of activities or role they are carrying out.
How to apply for a DBS check
A DBS application should be requested through your Club, Centre or Employer as it is your employer or deployer who is responsible for ensuring the appropriate checks are in place before you carry out your role.
If you think you may need to complete a DBS check and you have not been asked to, check with your Club or Centre Welfare Officer or employer. Guidance can also be found here.
Paddle UK uses an external company called First Advantage Online Disclosures (formally TMG CRB) to manage and process DBS Applications using an online system.
If you have any problems or questions whilst using the online system contact First Advantage Online Disclosures direct on 0115 9694600 or .
Option 1 is to apply through your Club or Centre Welfare Officer. This is available to Clubs or Centres whose Welfare Officer has registered an ID Verifier with Online Disclosures through Paddle UK. The process is:
- Contact your club/centre Welfare Officer/DBS ID Verifier.
- The ID Verifier will confirm if you are eligible to apply for a DBS Check and what level of check you require.
- The ID Verifier will register your name and email address on the First Advantage Online Disclosure system.
- Once your details have been registered, you will receive an email from Online Disclosures containing your login information and a link to the First Advantage Online Disclosure service.
The First Advantage system will take you through your application with prompts to help as you go. Further guidance for this application route can be found by downloading the document below.
The second option is through Paddle UK and the Post Office. It is available to self-employed coaches or clubs who do not have a registered ID Verifier.
- Contact Phillippa Dudley at Paddle UK at or 0115 6660199.
- Paddle UK will confirm if you are eligible to apply for a DBS Check and which level of check you need.
- Paddle UK will register your name and email address on the First Advantage Online Disclosure system.
- Once your details have been registered, you will receive an email from First Advantage Online Disclosures containing your login information and a link to the First Advantage Online Disclosure service.
The First Advantage system will take you through your application with prompts to help as you go.
When you get to the ID Verification section, you will be asked to print off the Post Office ID Checking Service Form. This must be taken with you to the Post Office to use their service. The Post Office will check your application for accuracy and validate your identity documents against the information you have provided.
In addition to the two options outlined above, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) offers a confidential checking service for transgender applicants in accordance with the Gender Recognition Act 2004. This is known as the sensitive applications route, and is available for all levels of DBS check provided by Paddle UK.
The sensitive applications route gives transgender applicants the choice not to have any gender or name information disclosed on their DBS certificate that could reveal their previous gender identity.
Any individual seeking to complete a DBS application under the sensitive application process should contact . The team will then take the necessary steps to process the application.
If you are a Club or Centre Welfare Officer, you can register to submit and verify DBS applications for your volunteers or staff. The Club committee or Centre Manager must agree for you to carry out this role and you will need to complete the online form at the bottom of the page.
The below ID Verifier Guidance provides further information on the process for DBS applications. Further information on the DBS ID Verification guidelines can be accessed through the government page linked here.
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us directly at .
Register to verify DBS applications for your club
The person who will be responsible for verifying the identity of club members must be the person who completes this form. This should ideally be the Club Welfare Officer. You must be a member of the named Club and have approval from the Club committee.
The DBS Update Service is an online government service which, once subscribed to, allows your DBS Certificate to be kept up to date for as long as an individual is subscribed to the service or until any new information is added to a Certificate (continuous annual subscription is required).
This means that it may be possible to utilise one certificate across different organisations. However, this is not guaranteed as not all organisations accept the Update Service system and it will be dependant on the role and workforce being at the same level.
For volunteers, subscription to the Update Service is FREE. Whereas, for those in paid roles, the annual subscription fee is £13. An individual only has 30 days to join the DBS Update Service once they have received their DBS Certificate, they can join the DBS Update Service linked here.
If an individual has subscribed to the DBS Update and their original DBS Certificate was processed through Paddle UK it may be possible to use the DBS Update Service to replace the need to complete a new application at the time of renewal.
This will be dependent on the individual maintaining a continual subscription to the Update Service, their certificate remaining current and their role and workforce remaining the same as on the original check.
The individual will also need to have completed the DBS Status Check Authorisation Form below. Once these steps have been completed, the individual or Club CWO should request a status check is completed by contacting .
DBS Status Check Authorisation Form
This form is to be completed by an individual who has subscribed to the DBS Update Service. Please note, by completing this form you are not subscribing to the DBS service itself. This can be done separately through the following link: https://secure.crbonline.gov.uk/crsc/apply?execution=e1s1.
This form is providing authorisation for Paddle UK to carry out a Status Check on your DBS Certificate, when requested to do so. The authorisation is valid for a period of three years while you are in your appointed role at the organisation you list below, after which a new authorisation will be required.
If an individual has a DBS certificate completed with another organisation, it may be possible for Paddle UK to do a status check on this existing certificate, provided it is in accordance with our Portability Policy available below.
The Portability Policy details that anyone who wishes to utilise an existing certificate needs to complete the form, along with forwarding copies of the original DBS Certificate and relevant ID.
