Many private independent therapy companies who are growing a team of associates want clarification about DBS checks and the necessary regulation.
During a meeting with a specialist children’s physiotherapy company we work with the subject of when to renew a DBS check was raised.
Taken from the UK government website a DBS check has no official expiry date. Any information included will be accurate at the time the check was carried out. It is up the employer to decide if and when a new check is needed.
Many online DBS checking organisations recommend 3 years as the typical renewal period if a person is stays with the same employer. They did, however, suggest that, if the person moves from one company to another, a new DBS check would be highly recommended.
We spoke with a couple of local authorities to get some clarification, but little was forthcoming. If for example a private therapist was treating children in a school within their catchment area, they would want to see a DBS check that was no older than 3 years, but this differed among different departments.
We also spoke with a number of established case management companies on this subject and again they look to see a copy of a DBS check that has been carried out within a 3 year period.
Many therapists who venture into private practice from an NHS background already have DBS checks carried out. Is it important, as the director of an independent therapy company taking on new associates, to have a separate DBS check carried out if there is already one in place from their current recognised employer and is only 1 to 2 years old?
Advice given is that it’s the decision of the private independent therapy company to make on this issue.
Originally posted on 6th January 2016