DBS checks are one of the most important safeguarding tools available to swimming clubs, and one of the most commonly mismanaged. Clubs that take DBS checks seriously know who holds them, when they expire, and what happens when someone’s check is due for renewal. Clubs that do not tend to discover the gaps at the worst possible moments.
This guide covers everything your club needs to know about DBS checks: who needs them, what type is required, how to apply, how the Update Service works, and how to track everything reliably so nothing slips through.
What is a DBS check?
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) carries out criminal record checks for organisations that work with children and vulnerable adults. A DBS check reveals information about an individual’s criminal history that is relevant to their suitability for a role involving those groups.
There are three main types of DBS check:
Basic check: Shows only unspent convictions. Not appropriate for roles involving children.
Standard check: Shows both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and final warnings. Rarely used in swimming club contexts.
Enhanced check: The level required for roles involving regular, supervised or unsupervised contact with children. Shows everything in a standard check plus any information held by local police that is considered relevant, and checks against the children’s barred list.
For virtually all roles in a swimming club that involve contact with young swimmers, an enhanced DBS check with a children’s barred list check is the appropriate level. If there is any doubt, Swim England’s guidance or your county welfare officer can confirm the requirement.
Who needs a DBS check in a swimming club?
Wavepower, Swim England’s safeguarding policy, sets out the minimum requirements for DBS checks in affiliated clubs. As a general principle, anyone in a role that involves regular contact with children in a position of trust requires an enhanced DBS check.
Roles that typically require an enhanced DBS check include:
- Head coaches and assistant coaches
- Junior coaches (including those still working towards qualifications)
- Team managers who travel with or supervise swimmers at competitions
- The Club Welfare Officer and any deputy welfare officers
- Poolside volunteers who supervise or assist young swimmers during sessions
- Any committee member with direct, regular access to young people in their role
Roles that may not require a DBS check include purely administrative committee positions where the person has no unsupervised contact with swimmers. However, when in doubt, it is better to obtain a check. The risk of having someone in a relevant role without a valid check outweighs the administrative effort of processing one.
It is also worth noting that DBS checks are role-specific. A coach who holds a check obtained for a previous employer or club cannot automatically use that check for their role at your club unless they are subscribed to the DBS Update Service (more on this below).
How to apply for DBS checks
Swimming clubs cannot apply for DBS checks directly. They must apply through a registered organisation, and for swimming clubs the appropriate route is through Swim England’s DBS application system.
Swim England acts as the umbrella body for affiliated clubs, which means your club can access DBS checks through their system at significantly lower cost than going through a commercial provider. The process typically works as follows:
- The volunteer or coach completes an online application through the Swim England portal.
- They present original identity documents to a registered verifier, usually a committee member trained for this purpose.
- The application is submitted, and the check is processed.
- The DBS certificate is sent directly to the applicant. The club can see whether a check is clear or flagged, but does not receive a copy of the certificate itself.
Processing times vary, but most checks are completed within two to four weeks. Urgent checks can sometimes be expedited. During the wait, the individual should not undertake unsupervised contact with children.
The DBS Update Service
The Update Service is a subscription that individuals can take out for a small annual fee (currently £13 per year). It keeps their DBS certificate current and allows employers and voluntary organisations to carry out online checks to confirm that no new information has been added since the original certificate was issued.
For swimming clubs, the Update Service is worth encouraging for all volunteers who hold DBS checks, for two reasons.
First, it removes the need to apply for a new DBS check every time someone changes clubs or takes on an additional volunteering role. A coach who subscribes to the Update Service and moves from one club to another can simply give the new club permission to check their subscription rather than completing a new application.
Second, it provides real-time assurance. Rather than waiting three years for a renewal check, clubs with Update Service subscribers can carry out continuous checks. If something changes between renewal dates, the club can identify it immediately rather than at the point of renewal.
If a volunteer has a check that was originally obtained through Swim England’s system, they can subscribe to the Update Service within 30 days of their certificate being issued.
How long do DBS checks last?
DBS checks have no formal expiry date. However, Swim England recommends that enhanced DBS checks are renewed every three years, and this is reflected in the requirements for many coaching qualifications.
The three-year renewal period is a guideline, not an absolute rule. For Update Service subscribers, renewal is not strictly necessary in the same way, because the club can verify currency at any point. For non-subscribers, the three-year cycle is the practical standard.
What matters is that your club has a documented policy and that it is followed consistently. A policy that says checks are renewed every three years and then allows checks to lapse for five or six years is not a policy at all. It is a liability.
Tracking DBS checks: where clubs go wrong
The most common failure mode for DBS check management in swimming clubs is the spreadsheet that nobody is maintaining. Someone set it up two years ago, it was accurate at the time, and it has not been updated since. Three people have joined the coaching team. Two others left. One renewal happened but was never recorded. The welfare officer cannot tell you with confidence who holds a current check and who does not.
This is not an unusual situation. It is the norm in clubs that rely on manual tracking without a defined process.
A robust tracking system needs to do several things:
Record the basics accurately. For each person who needs a DBS check, record their name, role, the certificate reference number, the date the check was obtained, whether they subscribe to the Update Service, and the renewal due date.
Generate reminders in advance. A check that expires next month is not a problem if someone knows about it. A check that expired three months ago and nobody noticed is a serious safeguarding concern. Set reminders for 90 days and 30 days before each renewal date.
Stay current. The tracking system is only useful if it reflects reality. Assign responsibility to a specific person (usually the welfare officer) for keeping it updated whenever someone joins, leaves, or renews.
Be accessible to the right people. The welfare officer and the club’s designated safeguarding lead should both be able to access the tracking information. It should not live in one person’s inbox or on their personal laptop.
Modern swim club management software like Swimly’s compliance features can manage DBS tracking automatically, sending reminders to volunteers and flagging upcoming renewals for the welfare officer, removing the dependency on manual spreadsheet maintenance. Integrated with membership management, you always know which volunteers are cleared to work with which squads, and the mobile app lets coaches check compliance status poolside. Combined with attendance tracking, you can ensure only DBS-cleared volunteers supervise sessions.
What to do when a check lapses
If you discover that a volunteer or coach does not hold a current DBS check, you need to act immediately. The volunteer should not undertake any unsupervised contact with young swimmers until a new check has been obtained and cleared.
In most cases, a lapsed check is the result of an administrative oversight rather than anything more serious. Handle it calmly and practically: get the renewal application started at once, keep the volunteer informed, and ensure appropriate supervision is in place in the meantime.
If you discover that someone has been working in a regulated activity with children without any DBS check, this is a more significant safeguarding failure that may need to be reported to your county welfare officer or Swim England directly. Take advice before acting unilaterally.
Building a culture of compliance
DBS checks work best when they are part of a broader culture of safeguarding rather than a box-ticking exercise. Volunteers who understand why checks are required, rather than simply being told they must have one, are more likely to renew promptly and to support the process.
Build DBS check status into your standard onboarding process for all new volunteers. Make it clear from the start that no new volunteer begins unsupervised contact with children until their check is in place. Review the tracking register at every committee meeting as a standing item, not just annually.
A club where DBS checks are current, tracked, and taken seriously is a club that has done one of the most important things it can do for the young people in its care.
If you want to manage DBS check tracking alongside your wider membership and safeguarding records, professional swim club management software like Swimly was built to handle this for UK swimming clubs. Automated renewal reminders and a clear compliance dashboard mean your welfare officer always knows where things stand. For a detailed comparison of how Swimly and other platforms handle compliance tracking, see our guide to the best swim club management software, or learn how swim club management software brings compliance, billing, and membership together. Unlike older systems like Club Organiser, Swimly’s compliance tracking integrates with billing and attendance, so safeguarding is built into daily operations, not a separate spreadsheet. Explore all Swimly features including compliance and membership management, view our transparent pricing, or join the founding club programme for hands-on migration support.