DBS checks – are you fully prepared to resume activities?

DBS checks – are you fully prepared to resume activities?

With the Coronavirus temporarily placing some activities of sports clubs, facilities and event organisers on hold, now is the ideal time for organisations to make sure they are fully prepared to resume activities once lockdown regulations are lifted further. One of the most important ways of doing this is by ensuring that your organisation has in place effective safeguarding and welfare measures.

As part of our commitment to making sport safe and enjoyable for everyone, the WSA offers a comprehensive DBS checking service through our not for profit trading arm Vibrant Nation.

What are DBS checks and does my organisation need them?

Disclosure and Barring Service checks are a way of analysing a person’s suitability to work with vulnerable groups by searching their criminal record. There is a legal obligation on organisations to ensure, by way of DBS checks, that eligible paid staff and volunteers have not been barred from working with children or vulnerable adults.   

DBS checks should be a part of your safeguarding and welfare policy, to be used alongside a host of other safeguarding prevention measures.

Why use the WSA’s DBS service?

The WSA have been offering a full range of DBS checks since 2016 and is the only fully bilingual DBS service in Wales. We offer a very competitively priced service, with members also benefiting from a discounted rate. The DBS service is not run for profit, meaning that the money generated is invested back into services for sport and physical activity. Unlike generic DBS check providers, our DBS checking services are tailored towards organisations involved in sport and physical activity, with the features and functionality of our system being built in conjunction with this sector. In response to the Coronavirus, the entire DBS service has now been made even easier with the whole process, including ID verification, being facilitated online.

We strongly suggest that organisations use this time wisely. When sport and physical activities do return (hopefully in the not too distant future), there will inevitably be logistical and operational issues to consider as we are forced to adjust to a new way of life and work. As well as providing peace of mind, ensuring that the necessary safeguarding and wellbeing procedures are in place will free your organisation to concentrate on the more unpredictable challenges that lie ahead.

If you are not currently utilising our DBS service, please complete a non-obligation pre-registration application here and a member of our team will be in touch. If you’re not a WSA member, and even if you’re not involved in sport or physical activity, you are still more than welcome to utilise the bilingual DBS checking services available, we have numerous charities and third sector organisations across the UK that utilise the not for profit DBS checking service. Full information on the WSA’s DBS service, can be found on the Vibrant Nation website.