Need help getting your DBS check completed? We have put together some useful tips that may help you through the process

As the start of the season approaches, there is always an increase in the number of people applying for DBS checks. This can lead to delays as we try to deal with as many queries as we can, although in most cases the issue can be resolved by the club or individual without any need to contact the County FA.

Please ensure you have tried following these steps before getting in touch with us, as it may mean your issue gets resolved more quickly and leaves us to support those with more complex problems that require our intervention.

Registering your club for DBS checks

For coaches the process of getting a DBS check begins with your club. To do this they will need to have access to the online system which requires a PIN. If your club does not have a PIN this means they haven’t yet been set up on First Advantage (FADV) to be able to do DBS checks.

The Club Welfare Officer (CWO) should email fachecks@thefa.com and ask for the club to be set up on the system. Give the full name of the club and the county they are in. Also detail who will be the club verifier so that can be set up at the same time.

How to start a DBS

Clubs must add the individual as a DBS applicant on club portal so that the individual can then see the DBS tab on their own Whole Game System (WGS).

Then when the individual enters the DBS tab in WGS, there will be a green ‘select’ button next to the club’s name. They need to click on this and it will send the email to the email address registered to their FAN with the link to First Advantage to start their DBS check. This link provides further guidance.

Email not received

If the individual hasn’t received the email, they need to check their junk/spam folder first and confirm the address registered on their FAN. If nothing is received, their Club Welfare Officer will need to login to First Advantage and go on Organisations tab. They will then be able to see their club and in the top right, the blue button ‘Organisation Actions’.

Click this and then ‘non-activated users’ this will then show you anyone who has had the email sent to them but hasn’t clicked on the link to start their process. You can then re-send the email to that individual and remind them to check their junk folder. If their name isn’t there, you will need to contact your County FA.

DBS in progress

Sometimes individuals will get a note on their WGS saying they have an application in progress. Their Club Welfare Officer can check on the First Advantage website first to see if they have an application in progress, if they do, the individual will need to log back in to FADV online and complete their application. Individuals must log in to First Advantage to finish their application rather than WGS.

If they don’t have an open application, you will need to contact the County FA and ask for their FAN to be cleared down. Please provide us with the full name and FAN so this can be done. Once completed, the individual will need to log back into WGS and click the green button again to initiate the email to First Advantage to start the process again. 

DBS not showing on WGS

An individual will always receive their DBS certificate however this doesn’t mean that it has been accepted by the FA. It takes 14 days for a certificate to show on someone’s FAN. If the certificate is clear, it will go on to their FAN, however if it isn’t First Advantage will contact (normally via email) that individual and ask them to send over their certificate to them, will look at it and will make a decision.

If the individual doesn’t adhere to what First Advantage are asking they could be issued a suspension. If it has been over the 14 days and it still isn’t showing, and they haven’t been contacted by First Advantage, the Club Welfare Officer needs to contact them and explain that their certificate isn’t showing on their FAN and can it manually be placed on.

They should call 0845 2108080 or 0115 969 4618 to speak to one of the team and have the relevant details for the applicant including their FAN, date of birth, full name, postcode and the PIN used for their DBS. Explain they have had their certificate for over 14 days, but it still isn’t showing on their FAN in WGS, are you able to manually place it on there.

Sometimes it can be down to a real small detail with their address being on different lines in their FAN compared to on their DBS, but FADV can put it on their FAN, and it normally shows within the hour. If First Advantage state they can see it on the FAN but you as the CWO cannot, please contact your County FA as they will need to raise a ticket with FA IT.

Payment email not received

This has been happening occasionally that individuals after they have been verified aren’t receiving the payment email. It will depend on who has been set up to pay it, either the individual or the organisation. If it is the organisation, ask the Club Welfare Officer or Club Secretary as to whether they have received it or not. If this still doesn’t work contact your CFA and explain the situation for them to help resolve.

DBS check taking a while to go through

Some DBS checks take a while to be processed and are staying at Stage 4 (Police checks) for longer than usual. Unfortunately, we at the County FA cannot push these on. If they have been stuck for 60 days or more, please contact First Advantage and speak to them and ask them to chase the check on 0845 2108080 or 0115 969 4618.

Verifying documents

Once an application has been completed there is a list of verifiers and their locations who can verify CWO documents that may be more local to yourself than a County FA verifier. If you cannot get hold of one of these, please contact the CFA for help.

Other issues not listed above