How can I escalate an application?

You may experience occasions when a DBS check is taking longer than anticipated to complete. Delays can be experienced due to various reasons however the most common are discrepancies with the information provided on the application form or police force resourcing.

We can escalate an application when this happens however the DBS will only allow us to do this once the application has been in stage 4 (records held by police) for 60 days. If an application reaches this stage, then we will escalate the application for you, you do not need to request this.

We understand that there will be instances when an escalation is required before the 60 days have been met. The DBS may be able to escalate an application sooner if the applicant is experiencing financial hardship due to the processing time. In these circumstances, the DBS will raise a hardship case. To request a hardship escalation the applicant will need to contact the DBS directly on 03000 200 190. The applicant will require their DBS reference beginning with ‘E0’ to do this.