The numbers behind the increasingly popular WSA DBS checking service

The numbers behind the increasingly popular WSA DBS checking service

The Welsh Sports Association (WSA) has been providing a DBS checking service since 2016, and since then more and more organisations have opted to take advantage of the range of benefits it boasts. 

The WSA now has over 330 organisations making use of its DBS checking service, which has enjoyed a year-on-year increase since its inception. 

During the financial year 2021-22, an already significant 15,733 checks were conducted through the WSA – a 37.7% increase compared to the year before.  

Last financial year, that total number increased once again – this time to a whopping 17,697 checks, which is the most the WSA has ever carried out in a single financial year.   

We are thrilled to have conducted more checks than ever before from April 2022 to March 2023, reaffirming our commitment to ensuring that sport and leisure is a safe environment for all participants. 

The WSA DBS checking service is continually gaining popularity courtesy of the broad range of benefits it offers to users. 

First and foremost, it has been tested and approved by the Ministry of Justice and The Home Office, while also being endorsed by both Welsh Government and the NSPCC – so rest assured that the service is up-to-date and of the highest quality! 

The WSA also offers Wales’ only bilingual DBS service, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy sport and physical activity in a safe and assured environment, and it is completely digital, getting rid of burdensome paper copies and prolonged waiting times! Moving the system online enables a quicker and simpler process, maximising efficiency and organisational capacity throughout and therefore easing the burden of this crucial part of safeguarding responsibilities for the sector. 

It’s a not-for-profit service, meaning that all the money made from the administrative fees we charge is funnelled back into sport and leisure to make the sector as enjoyable, safe and prosperous as possible for all, while it’s also one of the most cost effective solutions on the market. Any organisation can access the WSA DBS checking service for an administrative fee of £5.50, while our members receive discounted rates. 

The WSA encourage organisations from across the UK to utilise its service, and are pleased to be seeing a range of UK & British NGBs accessing the service. It is not necessary to be an organisation based in Wales, or even a sporting enterprise, to take advantage of the highly efficient and cost effective DBS service.