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DBS checks can seem quite a daunting and long task but it is vital in ensuring that all Under 18's involved within basketball are in a safe environment.
An Enhanced DBS check searches the applicant’s criminal history for convictions, cautions, warnings, and reprimands with an option to check the applicant isn’t on any barred lists. It can be obtained for positions working with children or vulnerable groups.
This level of check shows full details of a criminal record, including Cautions, Warnings, Reprimands, spent and unspent convictions. It can also search the children and vulnerable adults ‘barred list’ to see if the applicant is prohibited from working with these groups. Local police can add any relevant information about the applicant.
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) have more information on their website.
All members who are qualified and licensed with Basketball England to work with or coach Under 18’s in regulated/unsupervised activity are required to hold a valid, clear and enhanced DBS that has been completed in the last 3 years.
Regulated activity is defined as anyone who has a role coaching, teaching, caring, supervising, advising, treating, or transporting anyone under the age of 18. It also includes working with Under 18’s once a week or more, four times or more in a single month and/or overnight between 2am – 6am.
It is good practice to request a DBS check of the correct level for all staff and volunteers, even if they are not in Regulated activity. If someone is supervising a staff member or volunteer who works in Regulated activity, they are also eligible for the same level of check.
If you meet the criteria above and you are over 16 then yes, you will need to undergo a DBS. The government made changes to the law in 2012 that meant that 16 – 18 year olds must now undertake a DBS check. If you are under 16 years of age, you will not be required/will not be able to undergo a DBS check.
Basketball England uses First Advantage Online Disclosures to complete DBS Checks. There are 2 ways to get started with an Enhanced DBS check which are as follows:
Basketball England Verifier - If you contact a Basketball England verifier, they will be able to start a ‘New Online Applicant’ which will send you an activation email.
Basketball England Directly – Drop an email with the subject ‘New DBS Applicant’ to our safeguarding team along with your FULL NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS and your ROLE one of the Safeguarding team will set you up to receive an activation email and explain the next steps.
Once you receive the activation email you will need to click on the link enclosed in the email and this will take you to Know Your People Online Disclosures website where you will be able to start your DBS application. Please pay attention when you are selecting the documents to be verified and make sure that you have the documents before selecting them, this makes it easier for verifiers when they come to verify your documents.
Please note: You won’t be able to use an email address that you have already used on a current DBS or open DBS application. You will need to use an email address that isn’t linked with First Advantage Online Disclosures.
Check your spam/junk folders and filters as it may have landed in there, depending on your security settings. If you cannot see it there, contact our safeguarding team with the topic ‘DBS Activation Email – Missing’ and one of the Safeguarding team will be able to advise.
It may be down to your security settings, so we may need a new email address to get the activation email sent to so please have one handy in case we require it, this could be a relative’s email who you have been given permission to use.
If you have received the activation email to start the process of a new DBS application, you will need to click on the link received and follow the online instructions.
Then you will need to fill out the required fields online with the relevant information, select documents for verification and submit the application. Once completed, you will need to contact a verifier to get your document verified.
A full detailed guide to the application process can be found here.
If you make a mistake on your DBS application you should try and go back to amend the mistake.
If you have submitted your application and you become aware of a mistake, you need to contact Know Your People Online Disclosures immediately - 0115 9694600.
Basketball England cannot access your application to make any amendments, we can withdraw your application and send you a new activation email.
Yes, there is a small admin fee that Know Your People charge which is £10.80 per application for volunteers only.
If you are not a volunteer, the price for an Enhanced DBS check & administration fee is £60.30 from Monday 2 December 2024.
To qualify for a volunteer check, the applicant must not:
You must confirm with your DBS verifier if you are eligible for a volunteer check.
If you register for a volunteer check, and then your income from Basketball increases to over and above out-of-pocket expenses, you must apply for a new check at the employee rate.
No. If you are Coach or Bench Personnel and have no junior players within your team, when licensing, you can complete an SG2 Form - Self-Declaration form for roles not in Regulated Activity. You will be asked to upload the form to the membership system in place of the Safeguarding Certificate. The Safeguarding team will verify the document and override the DBS fields. You cannot use your Senior license and move to coach or support a team with Juniors. If you plan to run sessions with anyone under 18 or have under 18s on a Senior Men’s team, you will need to complete a DBS check and Self-Declaration and Disclosure Form for Regulated Activity.
If you are working as an official, you will need to complete a DBS check because your license can be used in Senior and Junior leagues and competitions where U18s are participating.
Not necessarily.
The following requirements are currently in place. You must either:
Your DBS check must be of the correct level, and for the same or a similar role to the one which you are applying.
Yes, we accept the Update Service. In order to check the update service for you, we require the following information to be sent in an email to us with the subject title ‘DBS Update Service’:
We must have seen the original certificate to which the update service check relates. If you are unable to provide the original certificate you will be require to complete a new check.
The application process for criminal records checks or ‘Certificates of Good Character’ for someone from overseas varies from country to country. You’ll have to apply in the country or to the relevant embassy in the UK.
Please read the guidance document if you have any queries. If you have any questions on applying for a criminal record check in the UK, please contact the Disclosure & Barring Service.
If you need specific information on how to go about getting a criminal records check from your country of origin, you will be able to find out more information by clicking on the link found here.
Once you reach Step 3 of your application, you will need to select the verification method you wish to use. The default method will be set to Post Office, however, you can change this to 'Organisation' if you wish to meet with a local verifier.
Choosing Your Verification Method
If you have chosen the Organisation method, you will need to contact a Basketball England verifier. You should have one within your club. This person is often your Club Welfare Officer, so if you contact them informing them that you need documents verifying they will be able to assist.
If you do not have a club verifier, you can view a list of verifiers on Step 3 of your application. They are listed by region and club.
You MUST verify documents in person and not via email as the verifier needs to confirm your identity and this can only be done in person.
If you have chosen the Post Office verification method, please follow these steps. There is an administration fee of £5.00+VAT (increasing to £6.85+VAT on 4th October 2021), so you should take a payment card with you, so that you can complete the application process.
If you are a 'volunteer' official and choose to have your documents verified at the Post Office, you should inform the Post Office that you are a volunteer, in order to be charged the lower rate.
You will select 3 documents at the end of your online application. If you are unsure, a verifier can confirm which documents you need to provide.
If you are unsure which documents to select, or want to know before you have to select them, the Disclosure and Barring Service have provided more information on the documents that can be verified.
If there isn’t a Basketball England verifier in your club but you have a Club Welfare Officer, you can encourage them to become one (see section on ‘Can I become a Basketball England verifier? If so, how do I do this?’).
Failing this, you can go to any Post Office branch and ask them to complete the verification for you. There is a £5.00+VAT fee for this service and you should take a payment card with you so that you can complete the application process.
Post Office Verification Step-by-Step Guide
If you are a 'volunteer' official and choose to have your documents verified at the Post Office, you should inform the Post Office that you are a volunteer, in order to be charged the lower rate.
Yes, the Post Office can verify your documents and complete the application. They will charge a £5.00+VAT (increasing to £6.85+VAT from 4th October 2021) administration fee.
Post Office Verification Step-by-Step Guide
If you are a 'volunteer' official and choose to have your documents verified at the Post Office, you should inform the Post Office that you are a volunteer, in order to be charged the lower rate.
Through Basketball England verifiers, you are not required to pay a fee. Basketball England does not recommend or encourage verifiers to charge DBS applicants to verify their documents.
If a verifier asks you for payment, please note that you have the right to refuse and go to another verifier.
The Post Office do charge a £6.85+VAT administration fee.
If you are a Welfare Officer with a clear enhanced DBS check done in the past 3 years then, yes, you can become a Basketball England verifier. If you are a Referee Coordinator with an Enhanced DBS, you can also become a verifier.
The Basketball England verifier will be able to send out activation links to members who require a new DBS check.
To do so, please contact the safeguarding team with the subject title ‘New Basketball England Verifier’. Please include;
Please note: When becoming a Basketball England verifier, the email assigned to your verifier's account will be advertised on the Know Your People Online Disclosures website and Basketball England DBS applicants will be able to see it at the end of the application process.
Your role as a Basketball England verifier consists of:
A Verifier’s Guide can be found here.
To set up a new DBS applicant, you need to log into your verifier account on Know Your People's Online Disclosure System.
Once on there, navigate to the organisation tabs and click 'organisation actions'. Here you will be able to create a new applicant.
A document explaining the process more, with photos, can be found here.
The verifying process on the Online Disclosure System can be found here.
Basketball England need to see your DBS status every 3 years, either through a new certificate being issued, or by checking the update service. This means you should apply for a new DBS check 2.5 years after it's issue to ensure you get the check processed in time.
Even though DBS' do not have expiry dates, Basketball England's policy is to request a status check every three years. This ensures that we have regular up to date information on people working with Under 18's in basketball, making the environment safer for children.
Basketball England monitors completed DBS applications daily so once your application is complete and your certificate is being issued by DBS, we will add the updated details to your records on on the membership system so there is no need to send in a copy of your DBS if it is clear. If the system instructs us to ‘See Paper Disclosure’, we will contact you to arrange for your certificate to be seen.
You must apply for your license in advance of the season starting, allowing yourself adequate time to complete your DBS check and Safeguarding training.
If you have registered your details on the First Advantage DBS system, and have met with a verifier and presented your ID, we may apply a discretional override on the system to allow you to license for a short period of time, while your application is completed.
However, as your DBS won't be complete, you will have to be supervised when you are in regulated activity with children (under 18's). This means you must have a nominated person to supervise you whilst you are working with children. This nominated person must hold a full clear enhanced DBS check and safeguarding training.
Please note: Basketball England cannot influence the timing and speed of a DBS check. We use a service and it varies between person/application as to how long a DBS takes to come through, some take a day some can take up to 6 months. Basketball England also has the right to refuse to license someone who doesn't have a current DBS check. It is your responsibility to ensure you keep your DBS up to date.
You will most likely need to start a new application. DBS applications usually are active for around 6 months before they go out of date.
Further to this, due to Data Protection laws in force from May 2018, First Advantage will now start to delete applications that are 6 months or older.
If your application is withdrawn you will receive an email informing you of this.
If a DBS comes through on the online disclosure system saying, ‘See Paper Disclosure’, Basketball England has an obligation to risk assess and go through a process of due diligence.
If you receive a letter requesting you to send in your DBS then please send it in the post (we cannot accept scanned copies) your recent paper disclosure as Regulation 4.1.1 of the Model Regulations requires us to risk assess your DBS.
The sooner you do this, the sooner we can get you licensed and out working within the basketball community. If you delay on this process, we may take action and suspend you until this has been completed.
You must send your DBS certificate through 'Signed For' Recorded delivery, and address it to the Basketball England Safeguarding Team.
You also have the option of presenting your certificate to one of our appointed Regional Welfare Officers (availability depending). Please contact the team if you want to request this option.
Please be open and honest if you have any convictions or think you will have content on your DBS. Please complete a self-declaration form and submit it to the team as soon as possible. You could choose to write a letter explaining the conviction(s), so we can handle your DBS risk assessment process more quickly when it is issued.
Not necessarily.
We assess each application on merit, and look at a range of factors such as types of convictions, age at the time of the offences and any rehabilitation completed. We also consider how your circumstances may have changed since the offences happened.
We may put in place some temporary or permanent measures such as training, a probationary period or supervision, or other necessary restrictions.
However, if you are on the Children’s Barred List, we will not be able to permit you to license in any roles where you may come into contact with Under 18’s.
Basketball England asks for a letter of explanation when the content on a DBS is recent or the type of content is concerning. We ask that the circumstances and surroundings behind each conviction are explained in detail to ensure we understand the full picture. You should also identify any rehabilitation attended since the offense(s), age at time of offense(s) and character references from individuals not related to basketball or education.
If you have gone through an enhance DBS check and it came back clear but since the issue date you have had a conviction or been reprimanded, you should inform the Safeguarding team immediately.
You must also inform your team if you are under investigation for Safeguarding reasons by another employer, the police or Children's Social Care. We will speak to you about the situation and whether your circumstances impact on your role in basketball.
This is to ensure that we have the most accurate and up to date records for anyone working within basketball.
Reporting a concern can be quite daunting for anyone but below we have broken down the reporting process to ensure that our members are aware of what happens from start to finish when you have submitted a concern to us.
If you have a concern about someone involved within basketball in England, you should try your best to report it to Basketball England, so we can investigate the matter. The best way to report a concern is to send it in an email, along with any attachments that relate to the concern, to the safeguarding team.
If you are unsure about a concern and if it is reportable then you should call 0300 600 1170 and ask to speak to someone in the safeguarding team and they will be happy to advise on the next steps.
Once a concern has been reported to Basketball England we will acknowledge the receipt of the concern by email.
We take each concern seriously and will consider each one to understand if there is action that needs to be taken by Basketball England or if the concern can be resolved within the region, club, or league.
If we refer a case to a region, club, or league, we will go directly to the chair of that organisation and their child welfare officer (if applicable) and inform them of the details behind the concern.
The concern won’t be left there as Basketball England will provide advice along with way and support where necessary. If the concern isn’t dealt with at a local/regional level, then Basketball England will step in to act.
If there is action to be taken by Basketball England, we will issue the concern directly to the club, league, or person that the concern has been filed against. This is to ensure transparency throughout the reporting procedure and it also gives those involved opportunity to respond to the concern.
When a concern is submitted to club, league, or person, we redact information that may be sensitive within the concern, such as the names of Under 18’s.
We give seven days for a response to be submitted to Basketball England (this does not include bank holidays or weekends). When Basketball England issues a concern the person/club/league in question we do not assume any guilt, this is to ensure they have adequate time to respond.
We look for any information that is related to the case/concern. This could be a wide range of things but what we usually look for is the following:
We understand that most people live busy lives and certain circumstances can get in the way of a response. If this is the case, please inform Basketball England as soon as possible. If needs be we can allow, where necessary and at the discretion of Basketball England, more time to submit evidence. The earlier you inform us, the more likely we can accommodate this request.
Once the 7 days have passed and all evidence/responses to the concerns have been made, Basketball England has 28 days to conclude and come to a decision. During this time Basketball England may follow up with further questions to better understand the case to ensure we take each factor into consideration.
Once a decision has been made, we will inform the club/league/person directly of our summary decision and what the outcome of the investigation is. Once submitting to the club/league/person, they have a further 7 days to appeal the decision (see appeals section).
If the decision is not appealed, then 7 days are given to the club/league/person to react to the sanctions/decisions and make sure they are/will be implemented.
All the decisions that Basketball England make are made on the balance of probability and without any bias.
Concern submitted to Basketball England
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Concern created & submitted – 1/2 days
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Response to the concern – 7 days (Maximum)
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Basketball England decision/outcome – 28 days (Maximum)
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Summary Decision & Outcome
Once Basketball England has completed its investigation, we will issue the outcome to the defendant which will explain the reasoning behind Basketball England’s decision and what action is to be taken next.
An appeal may be made against a decision within 7 days of the decision being issued along with a deposit of £250 being made for the appeal which should be paid by 5:00pm on the 7th day. If the deposit is not made, the appeal will not be accepted.
The appeal should contain the full case for appeal at the point of submission. The basis for the appeal and which specific aspects are being appealed must be fully declared. Only the aspects and information listed in the appeal will be considered and any appeals submission should only be made via email or post to ensure it will be considered. We do provide an appeals template to make it easier for you to submit an appeal.
Once submitted, the appeal will go to an appeals panel for consideration. Any decision that is made by the Appeals Panel will be final and binding on the parties involved and this will cover a decision on whether the appeals fee should be returned in full, part or not all. In some cases, the appeals fee may be awarded as costs and expenses against the appellant if and where appropriate.
In some cases, we may have to suspend a Basketball England member due to the nature and severity of the concern placed. We do this as an act of neutrality so that person is removed from the situation and to ensure the concern is not made worse and becomes escalated. Basketball England has no bias in this decision.
If you have reported a concern against a registered member of Basketball England and they have been suspended as an act of neutrality or suspended as an outcome of Basketball England’s investigation, they may still be able to attend games (depending on the sanctions placed). If they do attend a game and you are unsure how to deal with this situation here are some tips to help you manage the situation:
These points above are also valid for those who have been suspended and wish to attend a game.
Here at Basketball England, we know that basketball is a fantastic and energetic sport to be involved in and it is a part of many people’s lives in England. That is why, if you have been suspended for whatever reason, it can be difficult to manage if basketball has been put on hold within your life.
If it does get difficult, there are people out there who can support you through this difficult period.
Your GP – A good place to start if you need support would be your GP. You may have a good relationship with them and they will better understand your needs and can help you on a more personal level. They will also be able to refer you if you are really struggling - more information on referals can be found here.
Samaritans – You may not want to discuss your situation with us, which is fine. There are many charities and organisations out there who are happy to help 24/7, 365 days a year. The Samaritans are one of these fantastic organisations that are there to offer you a safe place for you to talk anytime you like and in your own way.
More information on the Samaritans can be found on their website or they can be contacted on 116 123.
Mind – For when the situation was a lot tougher than expected, you can speak with Mind. They are an organisation who is there to help people who may suffer from mental health conditions and so much more. They provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.
More information on Mind can be found on their website or they can be contacted on 020 8519 2122.
If you need an urgent help, please click here, then click on the 'I need urgent help' button at the top of the page. Mind provide a service to provide urgent help to those in need and their tool is designed to help you understand and manage your situation when you feel like you need help.
Basketball England – We are here to help. If you are finding it difficult we can provide some words of advice on how to deal with this situation.
If you have reported the concern to the Police in your area, please let us know as soon as possible. If you do report the concern, then Basketball England will have to halt any investigation it undertakes to allow for the Police to undertake their investigation. In doing this, it doesn’t mean that Basketball England are not involved, we will support any investigation that is ongoing with the Police and provide information when and where requested.
Once their investigation has been completed and come to an end, where necessary and logical, Basketball England will undertake their own investigation regardless if the Police did not pursue any investigation.
All members who are licensing to work with children, or who are supervising members who are working with children, must undergo routine safeguarding training as part of their registration with Basketball England.
This is to ensure that all Under 18’s that are involved in basketball within England are safeguarded and are working with coaches and officials who have the knowledge to lead/organise/be involved in basketball with Under 18’s.
Basketball England only accepts the Basketball England Safeguarding Course – please click here to for further information.
If you are a newly qualified coach you are required to undertake face to face training, this can be accessed via https://www.ukcoaching.org/site-tools/workshops/about-our-workshops/safeguarding-and-protecting-children
Basketball England do not accept any other training courses as part of licensing requirements. The only accepted course is the Basketball England Safeguarding Course – please click here for further information.
Basketball England do not accept any other training courses as part of licensing requirements. The only accepted course is the Basketball England Safeguarding Course.
Basketball England do not accept any other training courses as part of licensing requirements. The only accepted course is the Basketball England Safeguarding Course – please click here for further information.
We don’t require Under 18’s to undergo safeguarding training as there are very few courses that accommodate and provide the knowledge for young volunteers in sport.
UK Coaching is one organisation that does provide an age appropriate course for 13 – 17-year olds which provides young coaches, officials, volunteers, and sports leaders, with age-appropriate safeguarding information. It’s the ideal environment for them to develop their confidence in how to identify what abuse of a child in sport may look like, how they should act in line with their age and status, and how to keep themselves safe in sport.
If you have already submitted your safeguarding certificate and your records are up to date but there is still a block showing on your registration form, this may be down to our DBS records not being up to date for you so you may have to send in a scanned copy of your DBS to the safeguarding team.
For more information on DBS checks, please see above for more information.
Click here for more information.
We encourage all clubs to have a first aid trainer member of each team they have, to cover all and any eventualities that may occur within a game.
We don’t expect you to have the knowledge of paramedics or a physiotherapist when it comes to first aid within basketball. We look for people to have a basic knowledge of first aid that can assist when injuries/accidents do occur during a game so there is no need to look for in depth courses (unless this is something you wish to do) but courses that provide you with a basic understanding and give you the basic skills to apply first aid will be sufficient.
Basketball England currently doesn’t run any first aid courses, but we recommend the following providers:
British Red Cross – Their first aid training supports their aim to save lives, prevent and reduce suffering and increase the wellbeing and resilience of people in the UK and across the world. To find the right course for you and find out more information on the work they do, please click here to visit their website.
St John Ambulance - St John Ambulance is the nation’s leading first aid charity. Every year, more than 400,000 people learn how to save a life through their training programmes, including hundreds of thousands of young people. Their volunteers provide first aid in their communities, keeping people safe at events, and working alongside the NHS in response to 999 calls. For information on their courses and the work they do, please click here.
Other Providers – We accept certificates from a range of providers. To find out if we will accept yours, please email [email protected] with the subject labelled ‘First Aid Certificate’ and they will be able to let you know.
We don’t specify which member of the team should be first aid trained. It is down to the club or team who they wish to be first aid trained so it could be the Head Coach, or it could be the Team Manager, whichever suits your team/club.
If you have done a course through your work or for another sport, we will most likely accept it, just make sure it has a validity date and/or an expiry date!
The best thing to do is to send in a copy to the safeguarding team with the subject labelled ‘First Aid Certificate’ and we will let you know.
We believe that doing the face to face courses are a lot more suitable than online courses as you learn through demonstrating the abilities and techniques learnt. On the other hand, we do understand the everyone lives a busy life and that taking time out of your week to attend a course can be difficult.
If you send us a link to the course that you are looking to do to the safeguarding team with the subject title ‘First Aid Course – Online’ and then we will be able to let you know if we deem this course suitable.
We will be looking at the accreditation that comes with the course and to better understand who has approved the online course.
Using social media, photography & videos to advertise and use within your club is a great way to advertise your club and promote your games & programmes. Below we have highlighted some FAQs to ensure that you're club is operating within safeguarding policies and standards.
No.
If you do not have the consent from the person or their parent/guardian, you do not have the right to use that photo. This encompasses posting on social media, filming games/events and photos by official photographers. In doing so you may face sanctions by Basketball England.
If the player is under the age of 18, then no. The reason for this is that this can identify the player not only online but also offline and potentially lead to that player being identified and contacted by unwanted or dangerous individuals.
If the player is over the age of 18, you should ask for permission to do so and they should be made aware of where and when it may be posted. Some players have professional pages that they have set up to advertise themselves, it would be more appropriate to use these instead of their personal pages.
More information can be found through our social media policy.
Identifying players within squad lists and photos is a great way to give players a sense of togetherness and belonging within a club, but you need to be careful as to what information is provided alongside a post on social media.
You should not be posting the names of players under the age of 18 alongside, photos, personal details, which includes, personal social media accounts, email addresses and dates of birth. The reason for this is that this can identify the player not only online but also offline and potentially lead to that player being identified and contacted by unwanted or dangerous individuals.
If comments on social media seem threatening, obscene, bullying/abuse or defamatory these should be reported to Basketball England for further investigation. Messages which are defamatory, libellous or obscene are prohibited at all times and may require the intervention and/or investigation by Basketball England.
We encourage, where necessary, that you take screenshots of the posts and comments on social media as this will mean that Basketball England can take action if necessary.
All concerns should be reported to [email protected].
You should always 'think before you post'.
You should consider any messages, photos, videos or information and if they do comply with existing policies within your club, team or organisation. If you are unsure, it is best not to post it, hold off and check with someone who will know.
The Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) provides more information and templates for good practice in social media in sport.
