No one wants to be subject to unnecessary delays in starting their new job. Given how many stages most applications have nowadays, you could have been in the job-hunt phase for months and months before you get that final offer, and it’s very natural to be eager.
One particularly annoying reason to be held up from starting a new job is a DBS check delay. Here, we take a look at some of the most common reasons behind those delays – from incorrect details to complex applications – to provide you with some insight into what might be going on.
Incorrect details
By far the most common reason behind delays in DBS checks is incorrect details. Even a tiny slip up – an incorrect date of birth, address, or wrongly spelt middle name – can result in the check failing entirely, or at the very least causing significant delays.
It’s imperative that you triple-check every part of the forms that you need to fill in. If there are any parts of the form that you’re unsure about, make sure that you check with a background check specialist like Personnel Checks, so that you can avoid any common pitfalls and delays.
Delays at the police station
With Enhanced checks in particular, one part of the check will need to be processed by an individual at a police station. If that police station (or multiple police stations in some cases) is understaffed, or if there are other operational pressures, then it’s possible that there could be delays in this stage of the process.
If it’s taken longer than 60 days at stage 4 in the Enhanced check, then you are able to contact the DBS and ask them to expedite the check. However, this won’t always have a practical effect on speeding things up.
High volume of applications
It’s also possible that if the DBS is experiencing a particularly high volume of applications, they will take a little longer to process them. Periods when there might be a particularly high volume of DBS applications include just before the beginning of the school year, and during some holiday seasons. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do about this kind of delay, other than try to get your application in early, which won’t always be possible.
Complex applications
Some applications can also end up being more complicated than others. For example, if you lived at multiple addresses over the past few years, and you need to do an enhanced check, you will need to involve multiple police stations.
This can leave the application at the whim of several departments, rather than just one, which increases the chances that something might pop up that can delay the process.
DBS check delays are frustrating, and there’s often not much you can do about them. So long as you’ve filled in your forms correctly, you’ve done your part – all you can do afterwards is wait for the DBS check to come back.