Complete a DBS check

All Area Associations are signed up to Vibrant Nation to enable them to complete online DBS checks for their referees. Please see the following contacts:

• South Wales - Paul Williams -  safeguarding@southwalesfa.co.uk
• North Wales Coast- Paul Williams-  welfare.nwcfa@gmail.com
• North East Wales - Stephen Jones- ronewfa@gmail.com
• West Wales - David Rees - david.rees1@btinternet.com 
• Gwent County - Alan Watkins - alanwatkins@gwentfa.co.uk 

Please contact the Area Association relevant to you to enable them to send you a link to an online DBS application. 

In order to verify your application, you will need to provide three forms of ID. Please click on the following link for guidance on what ID documents can be accepted: DBS ID checking guidelines

The DBS check is free of charge for all volunteers. The FAW will cover the £4 administration fee for each DBS application. 

DBS checks can take anywhere between 72 hours to 60 days to be processed and you will receive your DBS certificate in the post.  Once the DBS has been processed, the results are immediately visible for the FAW Safeguarding Team and  the DBS account administrator. Whilst the majority of applications are processed quickly, this cannot be guaranteed. The stages of the DBS application process are:

• Stage 1 - The DBS application is received and validated
• Stage 2 - The Police computer is searched
• Stage 3 - The application is checked against the Children or Adults’ Barred List (if requested)
• Stage 4 - The DBS arrives with an applicant’s local police force, who then verifies it against their criminal record.
• Stage 5 - The DBS certificate is printed.

Due to an agreement between the DBS and local police forces, applications can stay on stage 4 for up to 60 days and an escalation request cannot be raised until after this 60 day period. Therefore we advise that DBS checks are submitted three months prior to a DBS expiring. Referees should not be involved in junior football related activity until they have a valid DBS check in place. 

If you have received a clear DBS certificate, you are not required to send in a copy of the DBS certificate to the FAW. The FAW Safeguarding Team will receive notification that your DBS check is clear and will then add this to your comet profile. 

If there is content on your DBS certificate, you are required to send a copy of the DBS certificate into the FAW Safeguarding Team to enable us to complete an assessment and determine if you can be provided with clearance for junior related football activity. Please send a copy of your DBS certificate to safeguarding@faw.cymru. Please note that you should not involve yourself in junior football  related activity until you have received clearance by the FAW Safeguarding Team.  

Failure to provide a copy of your DBS certificate to the FAW will result in a non-compliance suspension and this suspension cannot be revoked until the DBS certificate has been received. 

The FAW has a Policy on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders:

As an organisation using the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to assess applicants’ suitability for positions of trust, the Football Association of Wales (FAW) complies fully with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly. It undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of conviction or other information revealed.

The FAW is committed to the fair treatment of its staff, potential staff or users of its services, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or parental status, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or offending background.

This is a written policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders, which is available to anyone in the recruitment process or who has an interest in this Policy.

We actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills, and potential and welcome applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records. We select all candidates for interview based on their skills, qualifications, and experience.

A Disclosure is only requested after a thorough risk assessment has indicated that one is both proportionate and relevant to the position concerned. For those positions where a Disclosure is required, all application forms, job adverts and recruitment briefs will contain a statement that a Disclosure will be requested in the event of the individual being offered the position.

Where a Disclosure is to form part of the recruitment process, we encourage all applicants called for interview to provide details of their criminal record at an early stage in the application process. We guarantee that this information is only seen by those who need to see it as part of the recruitment process.

Unless the nature of the position allows the FAW to ask questions about your entire criminal record we only ask about "unspent" convictions as defined in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

We ensure that all those in the FAW who are involved in the recruitment process have knowledge of the relevant legislation relating to the employment of ex-offenders and are able to assess the relevance and circumstances of offences to the position applied for. 

At interview, or in a separate discussion, we ensure that an open and measured discussion takes place on the subject of any offences or other matter that might be relevant to the position. Failure to reveal information that is directly relevant to the position sought could lead to withdrawal of an offer of employment.

At any time, any subject of a DBS check may request a copy of the DBS Code of Practice.

We undertake to discuss any matter revealed in a Disclosure with the person seeking the position before withdrawing a conditional offer of employment.

Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of your offences.

The DBS certificate is valid for three years, from the issue date on the certificate. We advise that you get in contact with your Area Association three months prior to your DBS expiring. Please also see information below on subscribing the DBS update service that will enable you to keep your DBS certificate up to date without submitting a new DBS application.

We encourage anyone submitting a DBS check to sign up to the DBS Update Service as this enables:

• applicants to keep their DBS certificates up to date without submitting a new DBS application
• enable the FAW to carry out a check on the DBS Update Service to enable us to renew the DBS

Subscribing to the DBS Update Service is free of charge for all volunteers, however you must subscribe within 28 days of your DBS issue date. 

Please note that when you receive notification that the DBS is due to expire, it is your responsibility to contact the FAW Safeguarding Team to request that we carry out a check on the DBS Update Service. 

Please click on the following link to subscribe: DBS Update Service

If you have a valid DBS check through an FAW affiliated club, this will be transferable to all FAW affiliated clubs and therefore you will not need to complete a new DBS application. 

If you have a DBS check outide of our organisation, we can only accept this if you are registered to the DBS update service. If so, please email your DBS certificate, comet ID number and consent for a member of the FAW Safeguarding Team to carry out a check on the DBS update service.  This can be sent to safeguarding@faw.cymru

If you are not registered to the DBS Update Service, we cannot accept the DBS certificate and a new DBS application will need to be submitted through the FAW

An individual can submit a DBS check as soon as they turn 16, therefore we require all referees 16 and above to have a valid enhanced DBS check.