Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) checks

A condition of your entry (and continuation) onto the B/MMidwif (Hons) programme is for an Enhanced DBS check to take place and the disclosure be deemed satisfactory.

Instructions on completing the DBS check prior to your arrival at university (via the Post Office route) will be included in your Welcome Letter. Information can also be found in our enhanced DBS checks document (PDF).

Within the self-declaration form you completed during the application process, there was a disclaimer to say that you understand that your registration and continuation on the B/MMidwif (Hons) programme is subject to a satisfactory Enhanced DBS disclosure being received and that, if it is not deemed satisfactory, the Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work has the right to terminate your registration.

What documentation do I need?

The list of documents you need to apply for a DBS check can be found here: Documents the applicant must provide (PDF).

What should I do with my DBS disclosure once I've received it?

A copy of the results of your disclosure will be posted to your home address. The University will not receive a copy of your disclosure directly from the DBS.

It is important that you keep this document safe for the duration of your programme, as you may be asked to produce it for placement purposes or in the future. Signing up to the DBS Update Service will enable you to keep your DBS certificates up to date and employers to check a DBS certificate.

How do I know what should be declared?

All convictions, cautions, reprimands, bind overs, Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) and final warnings should be declared.

My DBS disclosure details criminal offences. Will this prevent me from starting the course?

Not necessarily. All cases are given individual consideration with the opportunity for you to explain in detail.

You will be contacted to provide an explanation in writing. The Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work follow DBS checks and procedures (PDF) in the event of positive disclosures being returned.

I deferred my entry, so I completed a DBS check last year. Do I need to do anything this year?

If you completed a DBS application during your admission process last year, then you will not need to do this again.

If you contact the Programme Office by emailing bmidwifery@manchester.ac.uk, they will send you a link to enable you to update your information via a Good Health, Good Character Form.

I have a criminal record or more criminal offences since the official disclosure. What should I do?

You must inform the Programme Director, Helen White (helen.white@manchester.ac.uk), immediately.

During your programme, any new or additional criminal offence(s) - all convictions, cautions, reprimands, bind overs, Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) and final warnings - must always be declared. Failure to do so may result in discontinuation of your studies.

For further information, see: DBS checks and procedures (PDF).

I have not lived in the UK before, or for the past 5 years. What should I do?

It is University policy that if you have not lived in the UK for the past 5 years, then you have to provide a certificate of good conduct from the country you were most recently residing in before you can complete the DBS process and be eligible to work with children as part of University activity.

Information regarding certificates of good conduct is available on the DBS website.

If there is no information listed, you will need to speak to your country’s embassy as to how you go about obtaining a certificate. This process varies dramatically from country to country, it may also depend on local policy within those countries, and therefore it is best to contact the relevant embassy or consulate in the first instance. Information as to how to find an embassy is listed on the FCO website.

You might also want to visit the Disclosure and Barring Service website for more information regarding the Disclosure and Barring process.