Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Applications

• A DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check is a record of an individual’s convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings and can also include intelligence held by the UK police that relates to that individual and their suitability for a position working with children and/or vulnerable adults.
• Please note that an Enhanced DBS Check can include information on both spent and unspent convictions.
• Certain minor and old offences will be filtered from DBS certificates, please visit the DBS guidance for further details.

If you already have a DBS disclosure obtained through University of Warwick or have a DBS disclosure from an external organisation which is registered with the Update Service please complete our form (Existing DBS Check Details) and we will advise you on whether we can accept it in lieu of a new DBS check.

• If your DBS is registered with the Update Service,the level of check, application position and workforce must match the position you will be joining at Warwick to be accepted. You will also be asked to provide identification which matches the details on the disclosure
• We will be unable to accept a previous check from University of Warwick if the DBS disclosure will be over 2 years old when your placement finishes and you have not signed up/ renewed your Update Service subscription.
• If your DBS check was for a volunteer position and you now require a check for a non-voluntary position we will be unable to accept your volunteer DBS disclosure.

If you are a non-salaried PGCE or PGDE offer-holder, you will be required to complete an Enhanced DBS Check through University of Warwick.

Vetting Check Forms

• PGCE: School Direct - Salaried: You will apply for a DBS check through your employing school. Once complete, please ask your host school to complete our vetting check form to confirm that you have obtained DBS clearance. The form should be e-mailed to Disclosures Team from the school e-mail account, or posted to the address at the foot of this page.
• Early Years Initial Teacher Training - Employer Led: You will apply for a DBS check through your employer. Once complete, please ask the school to complete our vetting check form to confirm that you have obtained DBS clearance. The form should be e-mailed to Disclosures Team from the employer e-mail account, or posted to the address at the foot of this page.
• Assessment Only Route to QTS: You will apply for a DBS check through your employing school. Once complete, please ask your host school to complete our vetting check form to confirm that you have obtained DBS clearance. The form should be e-mailed to Disclosures Team from the school e-mail account, or posted to the address at the foot of this page.

To support your DBS application you will need to provide at least 3 original items of identification. Please refer to the government website for information on acceptable documentation (ID checking guidelines for Standard/Enhanced DBS check applications from 22 April 2025 - GOV.UK).

• Once you have completed your online application, you will be required to take your ID documents to the Post Office for verification. Payment for the DBS check will be taken once you submit your application on KnowYourPeople.
• If University of Warwick is carrying out your ID check (as you live overseas for example, and cannot attend a Post Office), then you will need to send scans of your ID documents to Disclosures@warwick.ac.uk where we will discuss options for ID verification with you.

The DBS has a confidential checking process for transgender applicants who do not wish to reveal details of their previous identity to the person who asked them to complete an application form for a DBS check.

For further information please contact the DBS by:

• Sending an email to the DBS sensitive applications team (sensitive@dbs.gov.uk)
• Telephoning 0151 676 1452

There is an answerphone service available for this number where you can leave your name and contact number and a member of the sensitive applications team will call you back. You should contact the DBS before submitting your application to us.

Please note: this number is for sensitive application enquiries only, please call the contact centre on 03000 200 190 for all other enquiries.

When the DBS have completed all relevant checks they will post you a disclosure certificate. This will be sent directly from the DBS to the address you listed as your current address on your DBS application. Keep this certificate safe as you may be required to produce it when undertaking research or placements on your course. Warwick will not receive a copy of your certificate and the DBS do not issue replacements. Warwick receives the outcome of your DBS directly, so once your DBS is complete, we will update your offer accordingly (you do not need to send a scan of the certificate unless it contains a positive disclosure).

If your certificate has been issued and your have not received it within 14 days, please visit the reprint guide for instructions on requesting a re-print of your certificate.

If content has been disclosed on the certificate please e-mail disclosures@warwick.ac.uk for further advice.

If you wish to challenge the content of the disclosed information please do so by visiting appeals and disputes for further advice. If you do raise a dispute, please tell us be emailing disclosures@warwick.ac.uk.

• If you require a DBS check this will be clearly stated in your offer and we will email you with instructions on how to complete the online DBS application.
• Further information on the DBS process can be found on the DBS Warwick page

If you have been spent time outside of the UK for 6 months or more in the last 5 years, you will need to complete an Overseas Police Check in addition to DBS. This includes international students who are non-UK national.

An Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check is a compulsory requirement of any offer to study on courses involving contact with vulnerable children and/or adults. Once you are in receipt of a conditional, firmly accepted offer, the Postgraduate Admissions Team will email you with instructions on how to complete the online DBS application. Please note that you will need to meet the cost of the DBS check yourself, currently around £67 (this cost may fluctuate in line with price changes dictated by the DBS).

If you already have a DBS disclosure obtained through University of Warwick or from an external organisation which is registered with the Update Service we may be able to accept your existing disclosure. Please see Previous DBS Checks tab for further details.

Any information which comes as part of the disclosure will be treated in confidence and handled in a fair and transparent way. The disclosure of a previous conviction would not necessarily preclude an applicant from enrolling on the course. Further information is available on the MB ChB webpages, see Fitness to Practise (FTP)

Any applicant who has resided overseas for six months or more in the last five years will require an overseas police check. Please note you can still apply for UK DBS clearance whilst obtaining an overseas police check(s); these processes can occur simultaneously. DBS checks for students on the WMS MB ChB programme will be valid for the duration of their course of study, noting that students have a responsibility to declare any changes to their criminal records that occur between checks. Failure to declare relevant misconduct issues to the medical school or university may result in referral to Fitness to Practise (FtP) procedures.

When the DBS have completed all relevant checks they will post you a disclosure certificate. This will be sent directly from the DBS to whatever address you listed as your current address on your DBS application. Keep this certificate safe as you may be required to produce it when undertaking placements or applying for an elective in your final year. Warwick will not receive a copy of your certificate and the DBS do not issue replacements.

Students returning from temporary withdrawal, or any period of absence for a period of six months or more, will be required to undertake a new disclosure prior to return, unless they are signed up for the DBS update service and rechecks can be undertaken online.

Please complete the DBS Request FormLink opens in a new window if you believe that you may require a DBS Check for your research or placement as part of a course at Warwick.