Devon County Council is a registered umbrella body with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and provides services to council staff, schools, academies and externally to support a variety of businesses, organisations and charities. The department is primarily responsible for processing electronic (online) standard and enhanced DBS checks, but also offers additional services to our customers such as:

advice, support and guidance on the DBS application process
information on eligibility for DBS checking
DBS Adult First checks
external ID validation to comply with Route 2 of the DBS process
electronic (online) DBS basic checks

Please visit our employment check portal.

Why choose Devon County Council?

The Safer Recruitment Service offers a comprehensive and efficient service and is well known for its professionalism and friendly approach. Our team bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the department from varying backgrounds.

The department maintain a comprehensive database containing the key applicant data along with the DBS check information, which enables detailed reports and financial data to be easily accessed should customers require.

The department also provide detailed information to new customers, as well as regular communication updates on changes and new initiatives.

Please see our DBS applications flyer which describes the benefits of using our electronic DBS application service.

Please note that as of January 2024 we are no longer accepting manual or paper applications which could otherwise be processed electronically.

How to register as a new customer

If you would like to register to use our service then please email us at disclose@devon.gov.uk.

Helpful links and guidance

To find out which DBS is needed for an employee or volunteer, please see DBS Eligibility Guides.

To understand which forms of ID are accepted and how to verify them, including non-UK nationals, please see ID Checking Guidelines.

To find out what types of information will be disclosed on a certificate, please see DBS Filtering Guidance.

For information on the DBS Update Service, please visit DBS Update Service.

To verify authenticity and suitability of an applicant’s DBS certificate, please review this guidance How to check a DBS certificate.

If you have concerns about an individual and need to report this to the DBS, please see How and when to make a barring referral to the DBS.

For further enquiries or information please contact the Safer Recruitment Service:

Tel: 01392 383266 (option 2)
Email: disclose@devon.gov.uk

Safer Recruitment Service
Devon County Council, People & Culture
County Hall
Topsham Road
Exeter
EX2 4QD

For speed and security, we would always recommend contacting us by telephone or email wherever possible.

Information for our existing customers

Notice for existing customers: update to our Customer Agreement

As per Clause 10 of our Customer Agreement, Devon County Council may review and make amendments to our Agreement as required, with written notice. We are notifying all existing customers of the following revisions:

We are making changes to our handling fees in accordance with clause 3.3 of our Customer Agreement. The new fees will be effective from 1 April 2024. Further information is provided below.
Our address is changing effective 4 March 2024. All written communication should now be directed to: Safer Recruitment Services, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, Devon, EX2 4QD.

If you have any questions or would like further information on any of these changes, please contact us at disclose@devon.gov.uk or 01392 383266 (option 2).

Changes to fees

Devon County Council’s Safer Recruitment Service are committed to delivering high quality support and DBS processing that our customers can trust. Recruiting safely is crucial to protecting your service users and communities, so we have endeavoured to keep our costs fixed since our last price adjustment in 2018.

However, due to continued rises in inflation and increased operational costs over the years, revision of our pricing is now critical.

Please be informed that effective 1 April 2024, our handling fee for processing Enhanced and Standard DBS checks through our online application service will be increasing to £10 + VAT at standard rate (previously £8.25 + VAT at standard rate). Handling fees remain applicable to all Enhanced and Standard checks, inclusive of volunteers.

This decision was not taken lightly and the increase is reflective of inflation and overhead costs. Our new fee remains highly competitive whilst allowing us to continue delivering our expert service, advice, and support to our customers.

At this time, charges for our additional services remain unchanged. Please see DBS Checking Fees.

We understand that price changes can be challenging, but we assure you that this adjustment is essential to maintain the quality and range of our services.

We deeply appreciate your continued trust and support in Devon County Council’s Safer Recruitment Service.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this update, please feel free to contact us. Our team is always here to support you.

Thank you for your understanding and continued partnership.