Enhanced DBS needed

Spendless

My 23yo daughter approached a youth theatre about any work opportunities. She did a couple of trial days which they were happy with and then said she needed to get a dbs before they could offer her work.

She did this which took a couple of weeks to come through and contacted them to say she now had it. She received a reply saying it wasn't that one she needed but an enhanced one.

Looking into it, DD believes she cannot apply for an enhanced dbs herself and needs her work place to do so. However until she has the enhanced dbs this youth theatre group won't offer her work. She has emailed back offerring to pay for the cost but had not heard anymore. She then saw a different youth theatre advertising a job, so emailed them explaining she has a dbs but not an enhanced one as she need a workplace to apply for her. The 2nd youth theatre said they'd put on a list of reserves and come back to her.

It seems she's stuck in a catch 22 situation where groups want her to have an enhanced dbs but she can't get one until she has an employer who will apply for one. Unless she (and I) have misunderstood.?

Daughter is currently a drama student in the last few months of her degree with a lot of contact hours so going down a voluntary day role somewhere in under to get the enhanced dbs isn't going to be possible, which is why she was looking to work on evenings and weekends.

I admit I am baffled as to why youth drama 1 asked her to get a dbs herself when that's not the correct process.

Undervalued

Would they have been employing her on PAYE or would she be a freelance actor (or stage technician etc)?

If the latter then she would be a self employed business and responsible for getting the correct DBS for her staff (i.e her self).

Spendless

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81901688#Comment_81901688

As a teacher/assistant. Not one qualified to work in schools, this is a out of school activity. Running or helping out in the classes (which is what she did on the trial days but with other staff present)

I wonder if this is the case (which they didnt explain or she didnt understand)

Well she's not self employed (as shes looking for part time work). Does she need to set herself up as self employed (after checking it out if this is what they meant)?

elsien

If they are going to be employing her then they need to start off the process.

Perhaps she needs to stop emailing and contact them more directly?

time2change_2

You are right you can't apply for an enhanced DBS check for yourself in the same way as you can for a basic check. You need to use an Umbrella DBS service - basically a company to do it for you.

DBS checks for self-employed people and personal employees - GOV.UK

I suspect the Theatre Group probably doesn't really have the capability to do it.

Once your daughter has the Enhanced DBS check she can then register with the DBS update service which I believe allows her to give access to the enhanced DBS to other organisations.

YBR

As I understand it, a volunteer DBS is free but if required for a paid role then needs to be paid for.

Where that's PAYE employment, my experience is the employer generally pays and arranges it. Where it's effectively self-employment it's a "business expense" that the individual will need to arrange and cover out of their income.

So is this a situation where your daughter is accountable for paying Tax and NI (if any is due), or does she get a payslip showing the youth theatre deal with this? The former is since it's only evenings and weekends, and so I would think she's considered self employed for the purpose of the DBS.

elsien

Why would you presume that evening and weekend work is more likely to be self-employed?

Spendless

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81901716#Comment_81901716

Its a distance away - well over an hour almost 1.5 hrs (by public transport) with no guarantee that someone who'd know would be working the day she could get there after her own classes. It's not a 'set' office where there's a landline to ring when its open. The classes take places in village halls after school.

I will ask if she has a number but email is possibly the only way the query can definatly be forwarded to the correct person to be answered.

Ive no idea if they were going to employ her directly.

Spendless

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81901725#Comment_81901725

She hasnt had any wages. She did a couple of sessions as (free) trials. Then was asked to get a dbs, did so, emailed to say she now had it, the reply was she needed an enhanced one. Thats where shes come unstuck.

So from the replies does she need to set herself up as self employed first in order to be apply to apply for an enhanced dbs so she can tell the youth theatre group she has one?

monkey-fingers

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6657163/enhanced-dbs-needed

I'm pretty sure a Scout or Guide group would welcome her help if she fancied a bit of volunteering once a week.

Lowest levels of volunteers just need to turn up once a week, hour and a half, job done.

I say that as a Scout Chair. We'd welcome anyone who wants to help.

elsien

i’d be wary of going down the self-employed route if she isn’t because I don’t know what checks they do to see whether people are genuinely self-employed or not?

if all their paid staff need DBS checks, they must have someone there who knows what they’re doing.
And it is standard practice for the person not to be given any work before the DBS comes through. My organisation is the same. We offer the job, we check references and DBS and then carry on or we retract the offer. They just need to send her the link to start with.

Can she track down any other people to copy into emails?