DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks confirm whether someone has a relevant criminal record, and they're required for certain roles involving vulnerable groups or positions of trust. This is general background information — always confirm current requirements for a specific role against official guidance.
Why DBS checks matter for temporary staffing
Temporary and agency workers are placed into real roles just as directly employed staff are, so where a role requires a DBS check for a permanent employee, it typically requires one for a temporary worker doing the same job too. Skipping this for temporary placements creates exactly the risk the check exists to prevent.
The different levels, broadly
DBS checks come in different levels — basic, standard, and enhanced — with the appropriate level depending on the nature of the role, particularly around work with children, vulnerable adults, or positions of significant trust. The correct level is role-specific, not a single standard applied everywhere.
What a completed check shows
A DBS check result confirms whether relevant criminal record information exists at the level checked. Employers and agencies review this alongside the specific role's requirements to decide on suitability, rather than it being an automatic pass/fail in every case.
Keeping DBS status current
Some roles benefit from ongoing monitoring (such as the DBS Update Service) rather than a single point-in-time check, particularly for workers taking on multiple placements over time. Relying on an old check without any update mechanism can leave a gap.
Where responsibility sits
As with right-to-work checks, who is responsible for arranging and verifying a DBS check should be clearly agreed between the agency and hirer, rather than assumed.
How Meet Resources supports this
Meet Resources tracks DBS status as part of a worker's compliance profile, visible to agencies and hirers considering a placement, so the requirement is checked before a match is confirmed rather than after.