Continuous monitoring, explained properly

What the DBS Update Service is

The Update Service is the DBS's own subscription that keeps a certificate live. An individual joins it when they apply for a check, or within 30 days of the certificate being issued, and renews it once a year. It is free for volunteers and £15 a year for paid workers from 5 October 2026. While a certificate is on the service, any organisation that holds the individual's authority can run a status check that says whether the certificate is still current or whether new information has since been recorded.

Most organisations run that status check rarely, or never, and rely on repeating the full DBS check every few years instead. Daily DBS runs it every day.

Step by step

1. You add your people

Upload a spreadsheet or add people one at a time. For each person we need their name as it appears on the certificate, their date of birth, the certificate number, the level of check, whether they are a volunteer or paid, and a record that they have given your organisation authority to check their status. If someone isn't yet on the Update Service, we tell you, and we can guide them through joining.

2. We check every morning

Each morning our system queries the Update Service for every certificate on your list and records the result: the certificate's status, the date it was printed, when we checked and what came back. Each check is logged, so you have a complete history for every person.

3. You're told the day something changes

Three things trigger an alert to the contacts you choose: the Update Service reports new information against a certificate; a certificate has dropped off the service, usually because the subscription lapsed; or the details no longer match what the DBS holds. We also send reminders in the weeks before a subscription is due for renewal, so it doesn't lapse in the first place.

4. Everything is on your board

Your portal shows every person with a green, amber or red status, when they were last checked, their renewal date and their full check history. You can export it at any time, which is what you'll want the morning an inspector or auditor asks.

What an alert means

The Update Service tells you that something has changed, not what. When a certificate shows new information, the person must apply for a new DBS check so you can see the detail and make your own decision. Daily DBS flags it the same day; it doesn't replace your safeguarding judgement or your own procedures.

What we need from you

• Authority. Each person must have given your organisation permission to check their status, and you must be entitled to see that level of check. The portal records this for each person.
• Accurate details. Surname and date of birth exactly as they appear on the certificate. A mismatch is reported as a failed check, not silently ignored.
• The 30-day window. A certificate can only join the Update Service during the application or within 30 days of issue. Anyone with an older certificate needs a fresh check first; we can arrange it.

Security and data protection

Your data is held in an encrypted UK-hosted database. Each organisation's records are isolated by rules enforced in the database itself, not just in the screens, so one customer cannot see another's people. Every login uses email verification with optional two-factor authentication. We act as your data processor under a written agreement, we are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office, and we never sell or share your data. Full detail is in our privacy notice.