You will need to complete a DBS check and, where applicable an Overseas Police check, if you an applicant holding an offer for a professional programme (e.g. Nursing, Midwifery, Initial Teacher Training, Social Work, Healthcare Services) or a Sports programme where placements are an integral part of your course.
For current students on non-professional programmes where a DBS check is required, you must first complete your eligibility form. Once that has been authorised, you will be invited to complete a DBS check.
It’s your responsibility to ensure you complete a DBS check. Please make sure you:
Come along to one of our DBS drop-in sessions on campus (see details below) for the following:
Please be aware that if you come to the drop-in session for any other reason than stated above, unfortunately you will be turned away.
Come to the Sheppard Library at one of the time slots listed below. Pick up a ticket from the ticketing machine by clicking ‘No appointment’, then ‘Other Services’, and then ‘DBS’.
Whilst we endeavour to see every student as quickly as possible, please be mindful that you may have to wait to be seen by a member of staff. Thank you for your patience.
This Week
Date | Opening hours |
|---|---|
Monday 20th March 2023 | CLOSED |
Tuesday 21th March 2023 | CLOSED |
Wednesday 22nd March 2023 | CLOSED |
Thursday 23rd March 2023 | CLOSED |
Friday 24th March 2023 | 10am - 12pm (For all DBS related activities as listed above) |
Next Week
Date | Opening hours |
|---|---|
Monday 27th March 2023 | CLOSED |
Tuesday 28th March 2023 | CLOSED |
Wednesday 29th March 2023 | CLOSED |
Thursday 30th March 2023 | CLOSED |
Friday 31st March 2023 | 10am - 12pm (For all DBS related activities as listed above) |
*DBS drop-in sessions will not be available during Bank Holidays, Easter and Christmas Vacations.
*This timetable is subject to change – please check this page on the day prior to attending campus.
Complete our 'Contact Us' form and a member of the MDX DBS & OH Unit will get back to you shortly.
Alternatively, please come along to one of our DBS drop-in sessions.
It is important that your ID documentation is valid. If it's not valid, your DBS application will be cancelled and you will have to start the process all over again. Read carefully the checklist below to ensure you have the correct documentation required for the DBS Check.
Find out how to prepare your personal details in our short video.
Double-check. It's very important that you have valid documentation and that all your details are correct.
Got a query about your documents? Want to make sure you've got the right documents before continuing? Send your query to the MDX DBS & OH unit by completing the Contact Us form.
Here's a short video explaining how to activate your DBS account and how to fill in your details.
You will be sent an email inviting you to activate your DBS account with instructions and your login details. Please check your spam/junk folder as it may end up there.
Not received the email or cannot access your DBS account? Contact the university’s DBS unit as soon as possible by clicking ‘Contact Us’ at the top of this page.
Once you have logged into your DBS account, check the details pre-entered on the homepage/dashboard are accurate and spelled correctly e.g. your Title, Gender, Name, Date of Birth, and Course of Study.
If everything is correct, you are ready to fill in the application form. Click on ‘Complete Application Now’.
Something’s not correct? If any of your details are incorrect, they will need to be corrected before you can progress further. Contact the MDX DBS & OH unit with the information that needs to be updated by clicking on ‘Contact Us’ at the top of this page.
Once activated, you can access your DBS account by using your username and password and the following link: https://mdx.disclosures.co.uk/ (the original link will be deactivated once you set up a password).
Watch our short video for hints and tips on filling out your application form.
If you make any errors on the DBS application form, your application will be cancelled, you’ll be issued a new DBS invite, and you’ll have to restart the process again from the beginning. So, take your time to fill in all the information correctly and double-check that all details match the documentation presented.
We strongly recommend you read all the guidance and tips on the right hand side of the application form, as well the information on this webpage so you know what to do and what errors to avoid.
When filling-in your application form, you will need to:
Once you have completed and submitted your DBS application form, you will need to upload images of your selected ID documents. Without these images, your DBS application will not be progressed further so it’s important you do this.
It’s important that you upload images correctly. Please follow the guidance on the system carefully on how to upload the images and what format is appropriate. For example, you will need to make sure that the images are not blurry and that the full document can be viewed and is not cropped in any way.
You will be asked validation questions relating to your selected ID documents, for example: Is the issue date in the last 3 months? Is it an original? Is your name correct? Is your address correct?
Please make sure you answer accurately and truthfully. Any discrepancies where details do not correlate or are inaccurate will be picked up later on in the process. The result will be that you’ll have to start the application process all over again.
Watch our short video to find out how your ID documents are pre-vetted and verified.
Atlantic Data pre-vets your application
When you submit your DBS application form, Atlantic Data (an online DBS processing organisation) will scan the application for any obvious mistakes and any reason why your DBS check may be unsuccessful. This is referred to as pre-vetting. In the majority of cases, where Atlantic Data identifies any mistakes or issues with your DBS application form, they will unfortunately have to cancel your application and you will need to begin the application process again.
Atlantic Data invites you to book an ID check appointment
Note: priority is given to students who will be going on placement imminently. You will not be contacted by Atlantic Data if your placement start date is more than one month away. Be assured there will be sufficient time for your application to be processed. Unfortunately, you may need to obtain a more recent version of some ID documentation where the issue periods expire.
If your DBS application passes the pre-vetting stage, you will be contacted to book an appointment with Atlantic Data for your ID documentation to be validated.
You will be contacted by email so it’s very important that you regularly check your emails.
IMPORTANT: For your appointment, you must have in your possession the ID documents used in your DBS application (originals only; photocopies, photos, printouts from online accounts, etc. are not accepted). Your ID documents must be valid and in date at the time of your DBS Check appointment. If not, your DBS application will need to be cancelled and you will need to re-start the process again from the beginning. If there is a risk of your ID documents falling outside of the date range or expiring soon, please book the earliest available appointment slot, even if it is a virtual appointment, to avoid this from happening.
To get your ID and application checked and approved, you will follow a two-step process.
First, you will be invited to attend a virtual (online) appointment. Here, Atlantic Data will go through your application, including your ID documentation. However, you will still need to present your ID documentation to be DBS cleared. So, following your virtual appointment, the university’s DBS & OH unit will invite you to book onto a DBS check drop-in session on campus.
For information about the process after you’ve had an online (virtual) DBS check, please see our next steps information sheet.
Please make sure you read this thoroughly and follow each step carefully.
Once the government’s DBS Service has completed processing your DBS Check, your DBS Certificate will be posted to the address that was declared on your DBS application. Only one copy is issued and the University does not get a copy so make sure you keep the certificate safe.
Please monitor the progress of your DBS application by logging into your DBS account. Under the Homepage of your DBS account, there will be a Status History section. If there is a date entered for the 'Result received on' field, this means your DBS Certificate has been issued.
If you have not received your DBS Certificate after 2 weeks from this date, please contact the DBS service to organise a re-print. If you’ve not done this within 3 months, you will be required to undertake a further DBS Check and you will be charged £55 for this service.
Upon receiving your DBS Certificate, you have the option of registering with the DBS Update Service. You have 30 days from the print date of the DBS Certificate to register. The annual cost is £13.
Received your DBS certificate but not presented your ID documents in person?
In some cases, students/applicants may receive their DBS certificate before they have had an opportunity to present their ID documents in person. However, to be fully DBS cleared, they must present their original ID documents in person.
If you have had a virtual (online) appointment, but you have not yet attended a DBS check drop-in session on campus, then you have not yet received your full DBS clearance and you should not go on placement.
If you fail to present your ID documents in person, your DBS check will be cancelled. You will then need to undertake an additional DBS check at your own cost (£55). This will also further delay you in getting your DBS clearance, and this may have repercussions for your programme of study.
Got an online DBS, otherwise known as DBS Update Service? For applicants who have a DBS Certificate registered on the DBS Update Service, the University is able to undertake a DBS Update Service check for you instead. To do this, you need to provide:
The DBS & OH Unit will be checking to see if you have the correct level of clearance for your programme of study.
If the level of clearance on your DBS Certificate matches your course requirements and the results show that the DBS Certificate is indeed on the DBS Update Service, then you will not need to undertake a new DBS Check as we will be able to authorise the DBS Update Service clearance for you.
If the level of clearance on your DBS Certificate does not match the level of clearance required for your course or if for any reason your DBS Certificate is not registered on the DBS Update Service, you will be required to undertake a new DBS Check with us.
For those applicants who are not sure if their DBS Certificate is registered on the DBS Update Service, you will currently be paying £13 a year to be registered to this service.
Contact the MDX DBS & OH Unit for more information on this process and how to get it started (see ‘Contact Us’ at the top of this webpage).
An Overseas Police Check (OSPC) is the equivalent of a UK DBS Check undertaken in a foreign country where the applicant currently resides or has resided in the past 5 years. The information displayed on any issued OSPC, along with a DBS Certificate, will establish your suitability for a degree course.
You are required to undertake an OSPC if you fall under one of these categories:
If you are an overseas student, you will be required to provide an OSPC in place of doing a DBS Check. You will still be required to undertake a DBS Check once you have resided in the UK for more than 3 months.
Your OSPC will need to be dated within 12 months of the start date of your programme of study.
If you have lived outside of the UK for 6 months or more within the last 5 years (from the age 16 or above), then you will be required to provide an Overseas Police Check for each country you have lived in for this duration. The OSPC cannot be older than 12 months.
If you have a UK Certificate of Naturalisation, you can present this in place of an Overseas Police Check, provided you have not resided outside of the UK since its issue.
If you are a refugee, refugee status documents are accepted in place of an OSPC.
For more information on how to obtain your Overseas Police Check, please refer to the A-Z Country list.
If the authorities do not issue their own OSPC, complete this Overseas Police Check form. You will need to complete Part A of the form and get the appropriate Embassy/High Commission/Consulate/ issuing authority to complete Part B.
If the OSPC is not in English, it must be officially translated into the English language, which you are responsible for arranging. You will need to provide both the original OSPC(s) and the official English translation, for which the University is not liable for any costs incurred.
Use the table below to determine if you require an Overseas Police Check as well as a DBS check:
Category | Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) | Overseas Police Check |
|---|---|---|
I have always lived in the UK | REQUIRED | NOT REQUIRED |
I have never lived in the UK | REQUIRED* | REQUIRED |
I currently live in the UK but within the last 5 years, I have lived abroad for more than 6 months (when I was 16 years and older) | REQUIRED | REQUIRED |
I currently live in the UK but within the last 5 years I have lived abroad for more than 6 months (when I was 16 years and older) but have received a UK Certificate of Naturalisation | REQUIRED + Provide UK Certificate of Naturalisation | REQUIRED** |
A DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check confirms if you have any criminal convictions or cautions in order to decide if it is suitable for you to work in certain environments, particularly where children or vulnerable adults are involved.
There are three levels of DBS checks: basic, standard and enhanced. All Middlesex students requiring a DBS check will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check.
For applicants, a DBS check is an essential requirement if you are holding an offer on a professional programme (e.g. Nursing, Midwifery, Initial Teacher Training, Social Work, Healthcare Sciences) or a Sports programme where placements are an integral part of your course. Ordinarily, you will not be allowed to start on your course or placement until the full DBS process has been completed.
For current students on non-professional programmes where a DBS check is required (e.g. for an observation or a dissertation), first complete an Eligibility Form. Your Programme Leader/Tutor will then need to confirm that a DBS check is required for the purposes specified in the form. A member of the DBS team will then review the information to determine whether a DBS check is required and at what level of clearance you are eligible for.
For paid or voluntary work it is the responsibility of the organisation in which you are working to process a DBS check, not the university’s. The University overseas DBS checks for course-related activity, and not for any paid or volunteer work. You will not be able to use your DBS check which was undertaken for Middlesex University with another organisation, and vice-versa.
This depends. If you have a DBS Certificate registered to the DBS Update Service, there is a possibility that we may be able to accept it. The clearance level on your DBS Certificate would need to match the course requirements for this to be acceptable and you will need to be in possession of the actual DBS Certificate itself.
If the clearance level does not match or should you no longer be in possession of the DBS Certificate, you will need to undertake a new DBS Check. The reason for this is because DBS Certificates are organisation-specific - you can only use them with the organisation you get them through unless it is registered with the DBS Update Service. The DBS Update Service enables DBS Certification to transfer between organisations because it routinely ensures the check is maintained up-to-date.
If you’ve lost your DBS certificate, you will no longer be DBS cleared and unfortunately you will need to undertake a new DBS check, costing £55 of which you will need to pay for.
Only original documents can be used for a DBS Check. The University are not allowed to accept any documents printed from the Internet, such as bank statements or utility bills, nor can we accept photocopies, scanned copies or photos of documents.
If you do not have any other documents to use for your DBS Check, you are advised to contact your bank or utility provider to ask them to send you your most recent statement/ bill in the post.
If you are still having issues locating your documents, please contact the university’s DBS unit by clicking on the ‘Contact Us’ link at the top of this webpage.
No. If the document is not in date, it will not be accepted. The documents need to be within date for the University to be able to accept them. Please consult the ID documents list on this webpage to find out the date range for each document type.
If you fail to declare a conviction, caution, reprimand or final warning and the discrepancy is identified after you have taken up your place, the University reserves the right to withdraw your offer of a place or to terminate your programme of study.
Whilst completing your DBS application form, you will be asked the following question:
Is your DBS Check for a national of UK or another country?
To answer this question, check your current passport as here it will be stated which nationality you legally hold.
In addition, see below:
This would depend. We recommend that you speak with the university’s DBS unit to discuss the best course of action for you. Please click on the ‘Contact Us’ link at the top of this webpage.
There are two options:
(1) Undertake a DBS check with your current address even though you will be moving out at some point. With this option, you will need to either set up mail redirection with Royal Mail/ the Post Office or have access to the property/owner of the property to ensure you have access to mail (or);
(ii) Wait to move, change your documents to your new address and then carry out a DBS check.
We recommend that you speak with the University's DBS unit to discuss the best course of action for you. Please click on the 'Contact Us' link at the top of this webpage.
If any details are incorrect on your DBS application from, you need to take action. You should not progress in the application process until your details have been updated. Please contact the university’s DBS unit with the information that needs changing by clicking on the ‘Contact Us’ form a the top of this webpage.
For some applications, the University’s DBS & OH unit will offer a face-to-face appointment (for example, where an application has ‘failed’ on multiple attempts). For students who have been invited to a face-to-face appointment, please read the below information carefully.
The DBS check face-to-face appointment is a 15 minute appointment. It cannot overrun as it will affect other applicants/students.
It’s therefore important that you:
What do I need to bring to the appointment?
You will need to present the same documents selected for your DBS application. Please ensure that you keep your ID documents together in a safe place so that you are able to present these when requested. Originals only; photocopies, photos, printouts from online accounts, etc. will not be accepted. If you do not provide your original ID documents, your DBS clearance will be invalidated and you will be required to undertake another DBS Check. The list of documents can be found in the confirmation email sent after submitting your application.
What will happen at the appointment?
The MDX DBS & OH unit will verify the ID documents you have selected for your DBS Check along with the information you have provided on your DBS application.
You will be asked to confirm that the following details are correct: title, name, date of birth, email address, phone number, national insurance number, course name, current address.
If for any reason your application reveals any issues, your DBS application will be cancelled and will need to be restarted from the beginning. You will not be able to complete another DBS application during this appointment slot.
If your application is successfully submitted to the DBS Service for processing, the MDX DBS & OH unit will advise you the next steps required to be taken and how to monitor the progress of your DBS Check.
The DBS check virtual appointment is a 15 minute appointment. It cannot overrun as it will affect other applicants/students.
It’s therefore important that you:
What do I need to do before the appointment?
Download and install Microsoft Teams onto the devise of your choice beforehand.
For your appointment, you will need to have a devise that has video, audio and microphone capabilities. You will need to be in a quiet area with a good internet connection so you can communicate effectively without interruptions or issues occurring.
Ensure you are on time for the appointment and log in before your time slot in case of any technical difficulties.
You will need to show your ID documents. Please make sure that you are prepared ahead of time with your ID documents to hand.
What do I need to bring to the appointment?
You will need to present the same documents selected for your DBS application. Please ensure that you keep your ID documents together in a safe place so that you are able to present these when requested. Originals only; photocopies, photos, printouts from online accounts, etc. will not be accepted. If you do not provide your original ID documents, your DBS clearance will be invalidated and you will be required to undertake another DBS Check. The list of documents can be found in the confirmation email sent after submitting your application.
What will happen at the appointment?
The MDX DBS & OH unit will virtually verify the ID documents you have selected for your DBS Check along with the information you have provided on your DBS application.
You will be asked to confirm that the following details are correct: title, name, date of birth, email address, phone number, national insurance number, course name, current address.
If for any reason your application reveals any issues, your DBS application will be cancelled and will need to be restarted from the beginning. You will not be able to complete another DBS application during this appointment slot.
If your application is successfully submitted to the DBS Service for processing, we will advise you the next steps required to be taken and how to monitor the progress of your DBS Check. You will still be required to come on campus to present your ID documentation in person. You will receive an email inviting you to book and attend a DBS ID check drop-in session on campus.
THE DROP-IN SESSIONS ARE FOR APPLICANTS AND STUDENTS TO HAVE THEIR PHYSICAL DOCUMENTS VERIFIED ONLY. IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN INVITED AND TURN UP TO THE DROP-IN SESSION, YOU WILL BE TURNED AWAY.
It’s important that you:
What do I need to bring to the drop-in session?
You will need to present the same documents selected for your DBS application. Please ensure that you keep your ID documents together in a safe place so that you are able to present these when requested. Originals only; photocopies, photos, printouts from online accounts, etc. will not be accepted. If you do not provide your original ID documents, your DBS clearance will be invalidated and you will be required to undertake another DBS Check.
Make sure to complete this final step by the deadline date given when requested
Please be aware, if this step is not carried out within the timeframe given, you will not receive your full DBS clearance and this may have repercussions on any placements you may need to attend. Should you not meet this requirement, you will need to undertake an additional DBS Check at your own cost (£55), which will further delay you in getting your full DBS clearance for your programme of study.
Please make sure you either have access to the property or in contact with the owner of the property to collect your mail or organise mail redirection with the Post Office as the DBS Service will not re-send a DBS Certificate to another address.
