Applying for an Enhanced DBS Check
How do I get started?
Click here and select REGISTER from the login screen and enter the information requested, including:
Org PIN 102258
Org Name 1English Schools FA
Secret Word ESFA
Once registered you can then login using the above organisation PIN, your email address and password created as part of the registration process and commence your online application. You will be asked for your National Insurance, Passport and Driving Licence numbers so please ensure you have this information ready.
Verification
In order for the check to be submitted, you will need to provide proof of your identity. There are 3 ways to do this:
- You can have your documents verified face-to-face at the Post Office.
- A fee will be charged at the Post Office for this service (currently ÂŁ12.95).
- Take your original documents together with a clear and legible photocopy of each document into the Post Office, together with the Post Office ID checking service form (available to download here)
- The Post Office counter staff will check each document against the original, date and sign each photocopy and stamp with the words “Ëśthis copy is a true likeness of the original’ on each document.
- They will give you back all your documents and provide you with a receipt.
- You must then send this form, together with the photocopies to: Martin Duffield at 52 St Mark’s Road, Dudley, West Midlands, DY2 7SD
- Or you can post your original documents to Martin Duffield at 52 St Mark’s Road, Dudley, West Midlands, DY2 7SD. Please send your documents by recorded or special delivery and they will be returned to you in the same way, usually within 24/48 hours.
- Or you can make an appointment with one of the verifiers listed on the website when you complete the application.
The list of acceptable ID and an ID selection tool form part of the online application.
The FA requires everyone who works or volunteers in children’s football and regularly cares for, trains, supervises or is in sole charge of children to apply for an FA DBS Enhanced Disclosure.
By completing a DBS Enhanced Disclosure Application, you are allowing The FA to have sight of any criminal record or non-conviction information that is held and released by the Police via the DBS process. This information may include outstanding prosecutions and relevant allegations of criminal behaviour. In line with the DBS Code of Practice, The FA may disclose this information to those involved in making a suitability decision. The FA may use any or all of this information to help decide your suitability to be involved with children or vulnerable adults in football.
ESFA DBS Policy
- All Associations running District or County representative teams must list all their managers and coaches during the affiliation process
- Any changes in management or additional coaching staff must be added to the portal and approved by ESFA before they can be involved.
- Every team must have at least one named coach/manager who has accepted FA Enhances DBS certificate.
- All assistants and helpers must have an in-date FA DBS check and be approved on the portal
- Any Representative team managers and coaches who do not have an accepted FA Enhanced DBS must not be involved.
- It is the responsibility of each Association to ensure the process is completed and records are maintained
- Teams will be suspended and unable to play matches or train unless the manager and/or coaches are fully compliant.
ESFA DBS Verifiers
The ESFA has a number of volunteers who act as ID verifiers for the purpose of DBS checks. Your local contact can be found on the table below. We continue to actively seek verifiers in parts of the country not yet covered, but in the meantime, please contact one of the ESFA’s two national child welfare officers for this purpose:
| Name of Verifier | Covering |
| Alan JOHNSTON | Durham/Northumberland |
| Barry SHACKLEY | Nottinghamshire/ East Midlands |
| Stuart INGER | Somerset/ Southwest |
| John ALLEN | Sheffield / Yorkshire |
| Martin DUFFIELD | West Midlands/Shropshire/Staffordshire/National |
| Michael McNEILL | Inner London/Hertfordshire/Essex/A10 corridor |
| Michael SPRINGETT | Kent/Inner London bordering on Kent |
| Sarah DaCosta Joe RYAN | Bedfordshire/Cumbria Merseyside Area |
What happens next?
You will be notified that your application has been verified and will receive an email asking you to log into the online service and make your payment, using the Paypal online payment service. You will need to go back online and pay for the check. The cost is ÂŁ10 for volunteers.
Once you have paid, the application will automatically submit to The FA Disclosure Unit where the application will be validated before progressing to the DBS for further processing.
- Upon completion, the DBS will issue you with the Disclosure.
- Only one certificate is produced and it will be sent directly to you.
- If there is any “content”Âť on the disclosure (even if not relevant to your role) you will be asked to send the certificate to The FA to be assessed
- Failure to return the certificate when requested will result in an automatic suspension for non-compliance
REMEMBER: DBS disclosures are not portable between organisations unless a specific application is made through the Government Portability Service. A DBS Disclosure completed through a school procedure will not be accepted by ESFA.
ESFA Child Welfare “Talking Heads”: DBS checks
The video below shows ESFA National Child Welfare officers Sarah DaCosta and Martin Duffield aiming to make it easier for colleagues to access and understand our guidance.
Renewing an Enhanced DBS
The ESFA recommended best practice is for renewal after 3 years.
Download The FA’s temporary changes to DBS protocol due to Covid-19 pandemic