DBS Checking

ECB is firmly committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for children to enjoy the game.

It is essential that cricket clubs follow Safer Recruitment practices to ensure all staff and volunteers in cricket are suitable for their role, appropriately vetted and supported by their club.

As part of Safer Recruitment practice, clubs should consider taking the following measures:

• Clearly identify the role you are recruiting for
• Identify the skills and knowledge required for the role
• Interview volunteers – explore why they are interested in the role and why they want to be involved in cricket
• Collect references from a suitable organisation such as an employer, community organisation or sports club
• Ask to see certificates and evidence of qualifications
• Supervised Trial Session – this is particularly relevant for coaches and will enable you to see how they engage with children, young people, parents and other club members
• Discuss with the individual any gaps in their skills and knowledge and what training may be appropriate to address these
• Support the individual on an ongoing basis, including 1:1 check-ins, observations, recognising achievements and training needs.

All organisations working with children have safeguarding responsibilities and clear requirements placed upon them by legislation.

This applies whether you are a club, league, panel or another organisation. Legislation exists to ensure safer recruitment practices are followed, including DBS checks for those in regulated activity.

The roles in cricket that require an ECB Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check are:

All DBS applications should now be completed online. 

if you need to complete a DBS application, the following information is required:

1. Full Name
2. Date of Birth
3. Preferred Email Address
4. Club affiliation

Please email this information to your Club Safeguarding Officer who will be able to send you an online DBS application link, providing they are registered as an online DBS verifier.

If your CSO is not an online DBS verifier, email the contacts below with the above information and they will be able to set up a DBS application for you:

Iestyn Lewis

County Safeguarding Officer

• [email protected]
• 07774 004662

Ali Goddard

Cricket Development Manager (Schools, Junior Cricket, Coach Development)

• [email protected]
• 07786 361222

Sam Dent

Cricket Development Manager (Clubs, Programmes, Women's and Girls)

• [email protected]
• 07484 916777

Karen Smith

Business Operations Officer

• [email protected]
• 07593 583945

Pete Sykes

Managing Director

• [email protected]
• 07920 581413

FAQs relating to DBS Checking

What if there is content on my DBS certificate?

All convictions, cautions and information on the DBS certificate are assessed for their relevance in respect of safeguarding children and an individual’s suitability to work with children. The assessment is carried out by the ECB Vetting Panel.

If you have content on your DBS certificate, the ECB Vetting Panel may request further information from you to ensure you are suitable to hold a position of trust in cricket.

The existence of any convictions and/or cautions will not necessarily prevent an individual from being involved in cricket, that will depend on the nature and circumstance of the information provided and will be vetted on a case-by-case basis.

Who will know about my criminal convictions?

DBS certificates containing content will only be seen by the ECB Safeguarding Team, this information will not be shared outside of the ECB Safeguarding Team, unless there is a need to share information with others in order to protect children.

All information is kept confidential and managed within a secure environment, in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. Where information is shared, this is done in accordance with the requirements of ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2018/20’.

I have lived abroad. Can I apply for an ECB DBS certificate?

Yes, but you will need to provide a local police check or certificate of good conduct from your country of residence if you have lived abroad in the last five years. More information can be found here.

I currently live overseas. Can I apply for an ECB DBS?

Yes, applicants from overseas must complete the Non-UK resident vetting form and will require a local police check or certificate of good conduct. Download the form here.   

Can I use a DBS from another organisation?

No, a specific ECB DBS is required for anyone undertaking a regulated activity role in cricket. See the full list of roles above.

How long is my DBS Valid for?

All DBS checks are only valid for 12 months, this change took place in 2018 for Volunteers so any DBS applications after this time would have only been valid for 12months unless signed up to the Update Service.

Online Update Service – A large number of volunteers with DBS checks are now opted in to the online update service which means that on a yearly basis, with consent of the volunteer, a new check is carried out. This service keeps DBS certificates up to date by carrying out a quick, online status check to see if anything has changed on the certificate. This has the following benefits:

• Applicants can keep their DBS certificates up to date
• Employers (ECB) can check a DBS certificate online
• Applicants’ certificates are auto-renewed every 12 months, provided circumstances haven’t changed (you may opt out of this if you wish)

All applicants completing a DBS for a first time are invited to join the update service once their DBS certificate has been issued

If any volunteers have opted out of the update service, it means:

1. They will need to complete a new DBS application every year
2. They can visit https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service if they change their mind and wish to join the update service