DBS Checks

If you are volunteering through your KCLSU student society with under 18s, it is a legal requirement that you have a valid Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) certificate from KCLSU or King's. This means your criminal record will be checked, alongside the identification documents you have provided, to ensure you don't have a criminal history.

DBS checks are required for all volunteers that work with either young people under the age of 18, or vulnerable adults.

Any contact or interaction with under 18s or vulnerable adults requires a DBS. This applies to online as well as in person events.

We can only process DBS checks for volunteering opportunities arranged by KCLSU societies/clubs or for approved volunteering projects set up by King's students. If you need a DBS check or for a course placement, for a voluntary/paid position with an external organisation, they will need to process this for you.

Prior to your DBS interview you must email a clear photograph or photocopy of your relevant documents to dbs@kclsu.org and you must also bring these documents with you on the call to show on camera. Failure to provide these documents will result in your appointment being cancelled.

(1) You will need:

2 of the following type of Identity Documentation:

• Passport

• Valid Drivers License (full or provisional - plastic part only) - including international drivers licences.

• UK Birth Certificate issued within 12 months of date of birth

• Adoption Certificate

• Marriage / Civil Partnership Certificate

(2) In addition you will need:

Proof of your current, term-time address issued within the last 3 months (e.g. utility bill, tax letter, bank statement).

Please note that we cannot accept confirmation of study letters, proof of halls of residence or tenancy agreements as your proof of address.  We also cannot accept digital statements or bills. We cannot accept documents printed at home. We can only accept bank statements/bills that have been either sent in the post or printed and stamped or signed in branch.

Click here for alternative combinations of documents required, as approved by Gov.uk

Once we have checked your ID in person, you will be given a login and password. After your appointment you will then need to log in to your application remotely and fill in some additional details, including your address history for the past five years. If you do not complete this part of your application within two months of your appointment your check will be cancelled.

Certificates can take anywhere from two to eight weeks to be processed. Most organisations will allow you to participate while your DBS check is in progress so long as you're working with someone else holding a DBS certificate. This is at the discretion of the organisation so it's best to check first with whoever is in charge.

If you've been waiting more than eight weeks please contact DBS directly on 0300 0200 190 quoting your form reference number.

Once certificates are recieved you must take a photograph and submit this to your project lead. Your project lead will collate and send them in bulk over to the Volunteering Team who will verify and record the DBS status of each volunteer.

Yes, as long as you have access to a paper copy of the certificate that you can submit to your project lead, and the certificate meets the following conditions:

• It was issued by King’s
• It was issued within the last three years
  • unless you can show proof that you are registered on the DBS Update service
• It is of the same level as that required for your volunteering project (e.g. enhanced, child workforce etc.)