Do I need to do a DBS check?
Yes - if this was specified in your offer as a requirement for your course. All applicants to relevant courses must complete a DBS check through the University of Cumbria, unless you have an existing DBS check that meets our requirements and are registered with the Update Service. This applies to overseas as well as UK students-even if you have never lived in the UK.
Relevant courses are those that contain some element of practical experience working with children or other vulnerable groups.
Is there a cost for this?
Yes – unless you are doing a professional Health course that used to be eligible for NHS-funding. The University of Cumbria DBS fee for 2022/23 starters is £58 and you can pay this online at the time of submitting your application.
Applicants to a professional Health course that used to be eligible for NHS-funding do not need to pay: please note that DipHE Paramedic Practice and MSc Physiotherapy were never NHS-funded, so applicants to these two Health programmes will be liable for the DBS fee.
To avoid confusion, please also be aware that Social Work is not a professional Health course.
I have (or think I may have) a criminal record: what do I do?
You need to submit a Criminal Record Self Disclosure Form now if this applies to you and you have not sent it in already. For more information on this and the form itself, please refer to Self-disclosure of criminal record.
You also need to do your online DBS application and have your ID verified as soon as possible, to allow maximum time for our clearance procedure. You cannot be DBS-cleared (and, therefore, complete this Admissions check requirement) until we have seen your DBS certificate at the end of the process, so it is important that you submit your online DBS application as early as possible.
Is there a time frame to do the DBS application?
Yes - you must complete the online application and have your ID documents verified as soon as possible, once you receive the email to do so. Remember that the order in which you do these two things will be reversed if you live in mainland UK but cannot get to a participating Post Office to have your ID verified. The DBS process can take several months to be completed.
If the result is not through by the time you start course, you will be able to register, but your registration status will be affected by any outstanding admissions conditions, and this will prevent release of your student loan. You may also not be able to start placement if your DBS result is outstanding.
What happens after I've submitted the application?
Once you have submitted the online DBS application and had your ID checked we send the DBS application electronically to the DBS for processing–this should be completed within a couple of weeks, but can take longer in the event of any discrepancies in information or queries. The process is not complete until the DBS has issued your certificate. For those applicants with a criminal record there is also a clearance process that we need to complete.
If there are any queries or problems with your application, we or the DBS will contact you. If this happens you need to respond promptly, because outstanding queries halt the DBS process.
Once your certificate is issued you need to look after it carefully: if you lose it, it cannot be replaced nor a copy obtained, from us or from the DBS. You also need to bring it with you to university: some placements ask to see it or will ask for the reference number on it. You do not need to show your copy of the DBS certificate to the University (unless you have a criminal record): we receive an electronic notification of the check from the DBS.
I’m due to move house or change my name: can I change these details with the DBS
Change of address
Yes - the DBS should be able to do this if your application is still in progress, but you will need to contact them to request this. Please ring their call centre on 0300 0200 190. They will ask some security questions to confirm your identity, including your full name; date of birth; and the address that you gave as part of the application. Please take care when stating this to the DBS: we have had a case of the DBS cancelling an application because the applicant did not state their address in the exact format in which it was submitted within the application (e.g. omitting an optional line of the address). If you are in any doubt how your address may have appeared in the application, please contact the DBS Team before you ring the DBS and we can check this for you.
You may be required to provide evidence of the change of address, possibly via the University of Cumbria, but the DBS will advise you if this is the case.
Change of name
If you legally change your forename or surname (for instance, by marriage), the DBS should be able to accommodate this, if your application is still in progress. You will need to contact them to request this: please ring their call centre on 0300 0200 190. They will ask some security questions to confirm your identity, including your full name; date of birth; and the address that you gave as part of the application.
If the DBS agrees to amend your name in the application, they will write to us to ask us to verify this: we will then contact you to provide some documentary proof of the name change, in the form of your original marriage certificate or change of name deed. Once we have seen this, we will be able to reply to the DBS to confirm the change. Please be aware that this will delay the progress of your application.
The alternative is to allow the application to progress in your name as it was, and then present your DBS certificate along with documentary evidence of your name change to a placement, should one ask to see your certificate.
Errors in an application
The DBS will not be able to correct your information if an error was made in the original application or if a name was omitted (for instance, a middle name or a previous name). In this case, your application would be withdrawn, and you would need to submit a new one via the University of Cumbria with the correct information. Please contact the DBS Team if this is the case.
I am a non-UK applicant, or a UK applicant living or recently living abroad
‘Non-UK’ includes Republic of Ireland and other EU countries. Applicants in any of the above groups will probably need to obtain an overseas police check of some kind, as well as applying for your DBS check. Please refer to Overseas Criminal Records Checks for further information.
Read the DBS policy
For more information about our DBS regulations and procedures, please see the Admissions Policy on Disclosure of Criminal Background for Students in Relation to Work with Children and Vulnerable Groups.