De Montfort University

The challenge 

Finding a more efficient way to manage DBS checks for applicants.  

Finding students practical work placements outside the University is an integral part of Health and Life Sciences undergraduate courses like Nursing, Speech and Language, Midwifery, and Social Work.  

Besides managing the standard student application process, the Admissions Team of the University must also check candidates’ details with the government’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).  

“Nursing and Midwifery students will be out in the hospital environment,” explains Jayneeka Lad, DBS Admissions Officer at DMU. “That means they will be working with vulnerable adults or children, so valid DBS certification is a mandatory part of entrance requirements.”  

The DBS check may reveal details of any reportable convictions, cautions, reprimands, and warnings the candidate may have received and, if applicable to their course, any other relevant details the police may hold about them and can disclose depending on the level of the DBS checks the employer may conduct (basis, standard, enhanced and Enhanced with a barred list check). However, with Admissions Team of the University manually checking DBS forms and IDs before submission, the paper-based process was slow and subject to potential manual error. Candidates would often send late, incomplete forms or the wrong form of ID, causing endless chasing, with documents being posted back and forward.  

“We would send the forms out in May and students would send them back in dribs and drabs, with most arriving between July and September,” says Jayneeka, DBS Admissions Officer at DMU. “That took a lot of extra work at our busiest times for admissions, and we had to request additional resources.”  

With the DBS itself taking up to 12 weeks to process paper forms, there were frequent delays in approving course applications. Sometimes new students couldn’t go out on placements because their DBS certificate hadn’t come through.  

There had to be a better way. In October 2013, the Health and Life Sciences Admissions Team started to research online solutions. 

The solution 

Moving online with First Advantage.  

The decision point for DMU came when Jayneeka visited another university to see the difference online DBS checking had made for them.  

“They said online checking had saved them a huge amount of time,” says Jayneeka. “I looked in detail at other suppliers and their systems, but I simply found everything about First Advantage ‘s solution worked better for us – the process, the system, and the set-up, as well as the way their account team worked with us from the start.” 

One of the UK’s largest background screening providers, First Advantage offers a comprehensive DBS service with full UK coverage, including Disclosure Scotland and AccessNI. Accessed via a simple and easy-to-use online portal that links to the DBS’s e-Bulk interface, it reduces paperwork and administration. 

DMU has partnered with First Advantage since 2014 and initially after some brief onsite training, the 24 faculty users were ready to go. “We decided to trial the system for a year,” says Jayneeka. “The people in my team found it really simple to learn how to use.” 

The impact  

First Advantage support DMU with a more efficient DBS processing. 

As the Admissions Team emailed links to the First Advantage system to prospective students, they quickly realised the benefits. Candidates could complete the online checking process independently, completely removing the need for manual ID checking. 

“It worked really well for us right from the start,” says Jayneeka. “The candidates do their ID checking in person at their local Post Office rather than through us, and the DBS processes the online forms far more quickly too.” 

While the DBS’s average turnaround time for paper applications is four weeks, online applications are typically processed faster than paper applications due to the streamlined electronic workflow. And, unlike a paper form, it is not possible for candidates to submit an incomplete online application, so staff do not need to chase up half-finished or wrongly-filled-out forms either. The constant stream of queries the Admissions Team used to deal with has dropped to almost zero, with First Advantage services helping DMU compliance programme with the latest safeguarding legislation. 

“If candidates have any process problems, they refer to First Advantage’s online guidance documents,” Jayneeka says. “If they need more assistance, they can dial their helpline. First Advantage’s agents have been able to answer any tougher queries from candidates that we cannot resolve ourselves.” 

Using First Advantage’s tools, DMU’s staff still monitor the progress of checks and chase up unpaid or incomplete ones, but it takes a tiny fraction of the time previously required. So, instead of processing DBS applications, they are able to focus on more productive tasks at their busiest time of year. 

“Using First Advantage services for DBS checking has reduced our admin time by 65% or more, and we’ve also made big savings on postage and stationery – at least £11,000 annually,” says Jayneeka. 

“First Advantage is efficient and effective, and it takes a lot of the pressure off my team,” says Jayneeka. “It’s a far more pleasant way to work and provides a much better experience for candidates too.”