Use this when... you need to record, review, or follow up DBS check status for tutors, employees, or other staff who work with students.

Before you start... make sure you have permission to manage compliance records. DBS details can be sensitive, so only store the information your organisation needs and avoid putting certificate details into general notes or messages.

Use the Compliance area for DBS oversight rather than scattered notes across people records.

Record the check status, date requested, date completed, renewal date if applicable, reviewer, and whether any follow-up is required. Avoid storing more personal information than necessary. If your organisation has a safeguarding lead, agree which fields they own before admins start updating records.

Find the person in People, Tutors, or Employees. Confirm you are looking at the correct record, especially where names are similar or a tutor has previously worked for another branch.

Confirm the tutor or employee record before changing compliance status.

Open the compliance area for that person or use the central Compliance dashboard. Check whether the DBS status is missing, in progress, complete, expired, or requires review.

Expected outcome: you know whether the person can be assigned to teaching work under your organisation's policy.

Enter the relevant dates and status. Add a concise internal note only when it helps the next reviewer understand what action is needed. Do not include certificate numbers, unnecessary personal history, or sensitive details in broad-access notes unless your organisation has explicitly decided to store them there.

If the DBS is pending, expiring, or needs review, add the required follow-up task or reminder according to your internal process. Do not rely on memory or informal messages for compliance deadlines.

You cannot edit DBS fields: check your role permissions or ask an owner/admin to update your compliance access.

The dashboard still shows an alert after updating: refresh the page and check whether another required field, such as renewal date or reviewer, is still missing.

A tutor disputes the recorded status: pause assignment decisions until the responsible compliance lead has reviewed the evidence.

DBS work should have a regular review rhythm, not only a one-off onboarding check. Depending on your organisation policy, review expiring checks weekly or monthly, and make sure someone owns follow-up before the expiry date becomes urgent. Use the Compliance dashboard to spot patterns, such as one branch with many missing checks or several tutors awaiting the same onboarding step.

When a check is renewed, update the previous status rather than creating confusing duplicate notes. Keep the record clear enough that another admin can understand the current position without reading a long history.

Limit access to DBS information to people who need it for safeguarding, compliance, or operational decisions. If a tutor, parent, or general admin asks for details, follow your organisation policy and avoid sharing sensitive information through ordinary message threads.

If you need to store supporting documents, use the designated compliance document area and name files clearly. Do not upload unrelated identity documents or old versions unless your retention policy requires them.

Keep status changes factual and dated. A good audit trail should show what changed, who reviewed it, and what follow-up remains. It should not contain speculation, informal comments, or sensitive background that is not needed for the compliance decision.

If a DBS status changes from complete to review required, tell the safeguarding or compliance owner before changing teaching assignments. Keep the note practical: what changed, what is being checked, and who owns the next decision.

Once DBS status is complete, continue tutor onboarding, confirm teaching assignments, and review other required checks such as identity, right to work, references, training, consent, or branch-specific documents.