DBS and Occupational Health Check Guidance

A link to complete your DBS will be sent to your inbox according to the email address registered on the course application to the University.

Check your spam/junk emails to ensure the email has not been sent there, if you still do not have a link, please contact FEHWDBS@wlv.ac.uk / FSEDBS@wlv.ac.uk with your details including your student number, to check and request another link for you.

Please open the email and follow the instructions carefully to activate your DBS account with First Advantage/Know Your People.  This is NOT your DBS completed.  ​

Log into Know Your People to complete your application.

Complete the DBS application.  If you are an overseas student and require​ further assistance, please contact FEHWDBS@wlv.ac.uk ​/FSEDBS@wlv.ac.uk. 

Process your ID documents through the option given which is digital and you will be directed to the portal which carries out the ID checks.

Should your digital ID check fail you will be redirected to process a Post Office verification check. You will need to take your ID documents 

Your certificate will be posted to the address you included on your application.

There is no requirement to notify the University, your result is automatically available and actioned by the DBS Team.​

For FEHW Initial Teacher Training applicants only:  A UK overseas and residency check will need to be completed on the course application.  This check will require you to disclose any occasions you have worked or resided outside of the UK. You will be asked to provide overseas police check(s)  from each country you have declared to reside or work in.  You will not be able to proceed to enrolment without these checks being cleared.

You will receive a link by email noreply@heales.com, from our OH provider, Heales Medical.  You must complete this questionnaire and submit it as soon as possible. 

If no health condition has been declared a Fitness Certificate will be generated and your course entry requirement cleared, resulting in an Occupational health check no longer being a barrier for enrolment.  Please be advised you will need to ensure all other course entry requirements are met before you will be able to progress to enrolment.

If you have declared a health condition on your health questionnaire, this will be triaged by a medical professional and Heales Medical will contact you directly. This may be to arrange either a telephone call or a face-to-face appointment to discuss this further   

You will also be prompted to submit any vaccination evidence you have to studentoh@heales.com along with your student name, number, and date of birth. You can obtain this from your GP Practice.

If you are unable to obtain and submit your vaccination evidence then please do not worry, as you will be invited to a scheduled future vaccination session. The nurses will administer a blood test which will denote what you are or are not immune to. Upon receipt of your blood results, vaccinations will be provided accordingly.

As a condition of your chosen course of study, all applicants are required to undergo a UK-enhanced DBS check and an Occupational Health check (OH) and the process is explained in detail below. Please note that failure to complete the following process in full within 30 days of receiving this notification will prevent you from taking up your place on your chosen course. Before you are made an offer you will be asked to make declarations about your health and your criminal record.

Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 you are exempt from the provisions of Section 4(2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Therefore you are not entitled to withhold information about convictions that for other purposes are spent under the provisions of the Act. Please ensure that you make full disclosure. If you have any questions or concerns please seek appropriate guidance via our Admissions Team: email admissions@wlv.ac.uk.

Declaring a health problem or possession of a criminal conviction does not necessarily make you unsuitable for undertaking a professional programme. However, hospitals and other healthcare organisations can prevent access to your placement if you do not have a disclosure certificate. Furthermore, your full enrolment on the course is dependent upon meeting all conditions of your offer applied to you.

Should you already have a recent DBS Enhanced Disclosure certificate, you are still required to apply for University DBS as they are not transferrable between organisations, unless you have signed up for the update service (www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service) and the level of check already done matches the level of check required by the University. If you have signed up for the update service, then please bypass the process below and email  FEHWDBS@wlv.ac.uk or FSEDBS@wlv.ac.uk to arrange an online status check. Please note you will be required to provide your original disclosure certificate alongside your student number and photo ID (passport or driver's license).

First, Check your spam/junk emails to ensure the email has not been sent there, if you still do not have a link, please contact FEHWDBS@wlv.ac.uk / FSEDBS@wlv.ac.uk with your details including your student number, to check and request another link for you.

You will be asked to complete a digital ID check, if this fails then you will automatically be redirected to the Post Office verification check.  You must take your ID to a Post Office to verify your ID documents and process your application to the next stage. 

A list of available Post Offices can be viewed here.

What happens after this?  

Your application is electronically submitted to the DBS for processing.  The process is not completed until you have been issued a DBS certificate.  This will be posted by the Disclosure & Barring Service to the address you used as your current address in the DBS application.

Once the checks have been completed your Disclosure Certificate will be sent to the address you provided in your application. If you change the address after you have submitted your form, you should make arrangements for the Disclosure certificate to be redirected to your new address.  Important Information: The Disclosure and Barring Service will not issue a second copy of your Disclosure certificate so if there are changes to your address you will need to ensure you notify them before the checks and dispatch are completed.

If there are no convictions, cautions, or reprimands listed no further action is required. You do not need to notify the University when you receive your Disclosure certificate, but ensure safekeeping as placement providers (Schools, Hospital,s etc) may ask you to produce it or may not be permitted to attend your placement without your DBS certificate.

Please note the University has no control over the length of time a disclosure application takes to complete. In certain cases, the DBS are not able to meet its 90-day target for several reasons. For example, if you have a common surname it can take time for the Police to distinguish between one person and another, especially if two people with the same name share the same date of birth. Other reasons for delay can be if the applicant has lived at several addresses in different areas of the country, or simply if your application is made at a particularly busy time of year.

If you have not received your DBS certificates 15 days after the certificate issue date you can request a re-print by calling the DBS on 03000 200 190, option 1 to speak to a DBS representative.

Your place on the course is only at risk if you have not engaged e.g.  Submitted DBS application.  If this is with the DBS and is being processed (i.e. you have done everything you need to do), there is no threat to your place on the course. You are encouraged to commence the DBS process as early as you can however to ensure that your enrolment is not compromised or delayed.

No. We receive electronic notification of your DBS result.  

If you have a conviction, caution, or reprimand you will need to provide us with a sight of your original DBS certificate and you will be required to complete a  self-declaration if you did not declare as part of the University application process. If you have declared offenses to us, or if your DBS Disclosure shows offenses or information from the police, then you will be subject to the Faculty Fitness to Practice process.  In these instances, you will be contacted by the Faculty’s Quality Placement Administrator.

Your DBS will cover you for the duration of your course unless you take a leave of absence for more than 12 months. In this example, you would have to apply for a new DBS certificate by contacting FEHWDBS@wlv.ac.uk or FSEDBS@wlv.ac.uk before you return from your leave of absence.

Additionally, if you are involved in any incidents of a criminal nature throughout your course you are required to declare this, and this will be subject to the Faculty’s Fitness to Practice procedures.  The University reserves the right to ask you to apply and pay for a new DBS certificate.

The Disclosure and Barring Service will not issue copies, and nor can the University get another DBS certificate, you would have to apply again from the very beginning of the process and this would incur another cost of £38 plus the verification cost of approximately £7.00 therefore you must keep your DBS certificate safe. The University's relevant DBS Team can help support you with this process.

If you receive a caution, reprimand, or conviction AFTER you have received an Enhanced Disclosure certificate, you must inform the University immediately by contacting FEHWsuitability@wlv.ac.uk /FSEDBS@wlv.ac.uk – do not disclose any detail at this stage, we will contact you upon receipt of your initial email.

You will receive a link from our OH providers, Heales Medical.  You must complete this questionnaire and submit it as soon as possible.  If you have any health issues to discuss they will contact you directly and arrange a follow up meeting, sometimes with a Nurse or Doctor.  This will be to discuss your answers in more depth.

If you do not receive an OH link for completion, then please email FEHWOccyhealth@wlv.ac.uk or FSEoh@wlv.ac.uk according to the faculty you will be studying with.

You will receive communication from Heales medical asking for evidence or to attend an appointment on the relevant campus to either take bloods or have a vaccination for any outstanding vaccines required. This email will come to you directly from noreply@heales.com

Please contact FEHWOccyhealth@wlv.ac.uk or FSEoh@wlv.ac.uk according to your course of study.

The DBS check is completed by an external company, but you can contact staff who liaise with the company at our university by email, via: FEHWDBS@wlv.ac.uk or FSEDBS@wlv.ac.uk.