Making a DBS application

All ECB DBS applications are now online, it is no longer possible to make a paper application.

The application must be initiated within the system by a designated person within cricket (e.g. Club Welfare Officer, County Welfare Officer, County ACO Officer etc.) who knows you and the role that you are carrying out.

Please speak to your club, league or County board who will point you in the right direction if you don’t know who the right person is.

Once they've initiated your application, the system will issue you with an email which will contain a link for you to complete and submit your application.

As part of the application you will be required to select 3 forms of ID from a list of options, which you will then need to take with you to have verified in a face-to-face meeting with a verifier (this can be the same person who initiated your application).

Once you have had your documents verified your application will be dispatched to the DBS (for non-volunteers, there is one extra step involving payment before the application gets dispatched). Then, it is just a case of waiting for your certificate to arrive in the post.

Once you have received the certificate, the Safeguarding team may request for you to post it to them for further review, but only if there is content on it (a previous conviction or caution). If the certificate is clear, the process is complete and you do not need to do anything else.

One important advisory is to make sure your application is made in your full, legal name as it appears on your ID documents. If not, the full and proper checks may not be performed and your application may be invalid.

Below is a step-by-step guide to using the DBS portal to make an application. This guide can also be found in video tutorial form on the DBS portal.

1. Once your application has been initiated, you will receive an email inviting you to complete and submit the application. You should make a note of the username, which you will need if you ever need to log in to the DBS portal again, for example if you do not complete your application on the first attempt, or you want to pay for your application (if you are a non-volunteer).

Click on the 'click here' link to be redirected to the DBS portal.

2. When you are redirected to the DBS portal, you will firstly need to activate your account. To do this, enter your email address and date of birth.

3. Next create a password, then confirm it. Then enter it one last time to login. 

4. Next, read through the four-step process guide then click the green 'complete application' button at the bottom of the page.

5. Next you will be asked to tick some boxes to give various consents and confirmations. Read these carefully before continuing. When satisfied, click 'proceed'.

6. Next click to choose which nationality you fall into.

If you click on OTHER - INTERNATIONAL the following box will appear

The following information will help to determine whether to select Paid, Unpaid or Study

If the DBS check is for a person who receives payment to carry out their role select 'Paid'.

If the person does not receive payment then select 'Unpaid'.

If the application is for a student in relation to a course or programme of study then please select 'Study'.

Non-UK nationals that are adult household members in a fostering, childminding or host family or are living where 'work with children' takes place (e.g. living in a boarding school) should indicate they are 'Unpaid'.

The response to this questions does not establish whether the applicant is a 'DBS volunteer' and is entitled to a DBS fee-free criminal record check. This status is dealt with later in the application. Further guidance on volunteers and DBS fee-free applications is also provided later in the application form.

7. Next comes the ID document selection stage. Tick the 'yes' boxes for the documents you can and would like to provide for verification.

Please note that you should click 'no' on all documents you are not going to provide, as well as 'yes' for the documents you will provide.

There are 3 groups of documents, so if you have only selected one document from the first group, click on 'proceed' and you will be taken to the next group of options on page 2 and if you select No, it will then take you to the final page to make you selection.

You need to select a minimum of 3 documents in total (from pages 1,2 and 3) - see a breakdown of the options and requirements in the 'Accepted forms of ID' article.

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

8. Once you have selected enough documents the system will automatically show the following message. Click 'OK'.

9. If you need to change your documents you may do this by clicking on the red 'Choose Alternative Documents' button.

10. If you are happy with the documents you have selected, check your details are correct and fill in the rest of application form. You will need your documents to hand to enter the data that the system asks for.

Please note - the accuracy of the data you are entering is very important, if there is any discrepancy or error at ID validation stage then you can not go back & correct the application, you will need to start a fresh one.

When you are done, click 'proceed'.

11. Tick the 'I Declare' box after reading the declaration below, then click 'proceed'.

Please note that once your application has been submitted you are unable to make any changes and if inaccurate then this application will need to be cancelled and a new one initiated.

12. Your application has now been submitted. You will be presented with a confirmation screen. Make a note of your application reference number as you will need to provide this to the verifier.

You will also be given a list of available local verifiers - the system will pick the verifier from your club if there is one. If not, it will give you a list of verifiers from your County.

You will also be emailed with this information.

It is your responsibility to make contact with those listed via email to see who is available to meet face-to-face for verification of your ID. If you already know a suitable verifier, you may of course use them.