Risk assessing new staff and volunteer roles

When you’re thinking about creating a new staff or volunteering role you should identify its potential risks using a risk assessment.

This is important for overall good risk management and safeguarding planning, particularly for the wider safer recruitment process. It will also help determine what information you might reasonably need about someone’s criminal history.

You can then apply the eligibility criteria for different levels of DBS check to the job description, to help you decide which check you need and are permitted to carry out.

Criminal history shouldn’t be the only way you decide whether someone is suitable for a role. You must make it part of a wider safeguarding risk assessment, and safer recruitment practices.

Role risk assessment

For a role risk assessment for safeguarding you would map out:

• what that role holder will do
• the level of contact they have with children and/or adults at risk
• the level of supervision they will have
• how often they will work or volunteer in their role
• where they will work or volunteer.

You'll need to use this introduction to role risk assessments alongside further guidance.

• There's an example of a role risk assessment in our introductory page on choosing staff and volunteers. Or you can find out more about the wider process in our information on safeguarding for HR managers or our information on safeguarding for volunteer managers.
• You should use both your role risk assessment and DBS eligibility guidance to make decisions about which eligibility checks to take.
• An organisation will decide which level of DBS check is appropriate and available for a staff or volunteer role. A basic check can be requested for any role.
• If you're self-employed or a personal employee (employed directly by a private individual to deliver services either to them or a member of their family), you can can apply for your own DBS check in certain circumstances. Learn more
• DBS checks for trustees need to be considered separately to DBS checks for staff and volunteers. See our update on current guidance around checks for trustees.