Management Information Sheet

As outlined in MI Sheet 162/12, from September 2012 new responsibilities for employers arose from the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 affecting disclosure and barring:

• If you consider that a role is within the new definition of regulated activity, you should request the appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Barred List (for children, adults or both) when you apply for an enhanced DBS check.
• For roles which are no longer included in Regulated Activity, schools are entitled to seek an enhanced DBS check without a barred list check at their discretion.

Therefore, when undertaking DBS checks on "Norfolk Disclosures" you will need to select the appropriate job role which is now suffixed with designated codes. The following codes indicate which barred lists will be checked when a particular job role is selected:

Please remember when accepting portability from another Norfolk School that you ensure that the individual has previously been vetted at the appropriate level for the role they are being deployed into. For example, the job role of teacher is now displayed as 'Teacher (CBL)'. This is to make each role distinguishable on the system and assist in certifying DBS Disclosures where portability has been applied between Norfolk County Council schools.

All staff on a school's payroll remain in regulated activity and checks on these positions will only have the option of an enhanced DBS check with a Children's Barred List check assigned to the job role.

With volunteers, you will need to decide whether a check is required. As outlined in MI Sheet 162/12 and expanded upon in MI Sheet 183/12, roles where schools are entitled to seek an enhanced DBS check without a barred list check at their discretion, have been assigned a 'No Barred List' variant. This includes school governors and voluntary/unpaid roles where the individual is not in Regulated Activity as they are supervised to a reasonable level (e.g. Parent Helper). Please note the role of 'General Helper' has been replaced by the roles 'Supervised Helper (No BL)' and 'Unsupervised Helper (CBL)'.

Statutory guidance around supervision and the impact on enhanced DBS checks is available through the Department of Education (DfE) website. Further information regarding regulated activity can also be found in the P112 Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) checks policy.

Roles relating to course placement and work experience have all barred list options available to ensure that the level of check carried out is appropriate to the placement. For example, a sixth form student being deployed to a placement in an adult care facility (who is providing physical assistance with their personal care) would be deemed to be in Regulated Activity relating to adults and therefore an enhanced DBS check with an Adult's Barred List check would be necessary. Only individuals aged 16 and above are now eligible for checks.

Where job roles could be undertaken on a voluntary basis then you will be directed to the voluntary questionnaire within Norfolk Disclosures, provided you have selected a job role deemed as eligible for voluntary status by DBS' definition. For example, a Classroom Assistant role is classified as a chargeable application. Where an individual is undertaking such a role on a voluntary basis then an alternative role would need to be selected such as either an Unsupervised Helper (CBL) or a Supervised Helper (No BL).

Please ensure that this information is cascaded to individuals within your School delegated with the responsibility of initiating online DBS checks.

If you have any questions or would like further information then please contact HR Direct by emailing www.schoolspeoplenet.norfolk.gov.uk/HR-Resources or calling 01603 222212.

Additional information and resources for the DBS process are available on Schools PeopleNet.