A DBS check, which stands for Disclosure and Barring Service check, is a criminal record check that helps us to assess your suitability for volunteering with young people at ReachOut. You will not be able to begin mentoring without completing your DBS as well as the rest of your onboarding journey as each step is part of our safer recruitment practices.
Please follow this link to read our policy statement on recruiting applicants with criminal records, advice around disclosures and if relevant, complete the form to make a self-declaration. Responses are only visible to our safeguarding team and please note that a criminal record will not necessarily prevent you from mentoring.
You will follow Route 1 – this means you’ll be prompted to have your documents processed digitally. This is the best way to complete your DBS but if you have any probelems, you’ll be directed to continue using Route 2 instead. Please follow the link below depending on your location:
You will follow Route 2 – this means we will have to check your ID online and at your first session in person. Please follow the link below depending on your location:
There are two ways we might be able to accept an exisitng DBS:
1. If you mentored with ReachOut in 2024/25 and your DBS expires after July 2026.
2. If you already have a DBS certificate from a different organisation / role, then we may be able to use it towards your volunteering with us. Please see the requirements listed below.
To do this, you will need your paper certificate to hand. We cannot accept copies or scans of your DBS.
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If you have a DBS certificate from a different organisation or role (option 2) we can only accept it for volunteering if it meets all 3 requirements listed. Please bring the original certificate to your 1:1 meeting.
A: Check that your certificate is ‘Enhanced’.
This information will be located at the very top of your certificate. To be a Volunteer Mentor, you need to have an ‘Enhanced’ certificate.
If your certificate says ‘Basic’ or ‘Standard’ instead, then we can unfortunately not accept it and you will need to submit a new DBS application.
B: Check that your certificate issue date
We are able to accept external DBS certificates as long as the ‘Date of Issue’ is listed as having been within the last 6 months. You can check this information at the top right corner of your DBS, under your ‘Certificate Number’.
Alternatively, if you are registered on the update service, we can accept this.
If your certificate has not been issued within the last 6 months or you are not registered on the update service, then we can unfortunately not accept it and you will need to submit a new DBS application.
C: Check that your certificate covers the necessary checks.
As you will be working with young people, your DBS certificate needs to cover a check called ‘DBS Children’s Barred List information’.
You can find this check along with other checks in the main body of your certificate.
You’ll need to provide 3 documents for your application – open the sections below to read which documents we can accept.
1) One document from Section A: ‘Identity documents’ below (e.g passport)
2) One document from the ‘Proof of address’ section B below (e.g utility bill) – please be aware this must have come through the post so there may be additional actions for you to take to visit your bank if you do not have another document in this category
3) One more document from section A, B or section C which details ‘Additional documents’.
You can also view the full government guidance here for additional information.
Please use at least 1 document from this category. You can use another document from this category as your 3rd ‘additional’ document. We will need to see this in physical form in the 1.1 meeting if using Route 2 rather than a copy or scan.
Acceptable | Not acceptable |
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You will need 1 document from this category and the address must match the address used on your application as this is where your DBS will be posted.
Acceptable | Not acceptable |
All of the documents below must have been sent to you through the post. We can not accept documents shown to us from online banking or other online accounts.
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You will need a third document which can come from section A or B above or be one of these other documents:
Acceptable | Not acceptable |
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Once you have filled out an online DBS application, you will first need to book and attend a 1.1 meeting to have your 3 ID documents verified by a member of the ReachOut team before your application can be submitted for processing. It is only once you have done this that your DBS will start to be processed.
After your 1.1 meeting, it will take around 1-2 weeks before you receive your certificate in the post. It is therefore really important that you book onto a 1.1 meeting and have your 3 ID documents ready to show if you want to progress with your volunteer journey. If you attend your 1:1 meeting and 2 weeks go by and you still have not received your certificate, please get in touch to let us know!
If you have read the guidance above and still don’t think that you have 3 ID documents – please get in touch with us at volunteer@reachoutuk.org .
In this case there are a few options that you could follow:
If you are still struggling, please get in touch with us.
We do accept external DBS certificates, but only if they fall within certain specifications. Please read the guidance above in the section C: I already have a DBS’ to check.
If you’re having any trouble with this stage of your Volunteer Journey, or if you have any other questions, please contact the Volunteer Team:
Email: volunteer@reachoutuk.org
Phone: 07379096225
megan Brown
“Hello, I’m Megan! My role at ReachOut is to support you throughout your time as a volunteer mentor. Volunteering is a fantastic way to make a difference and give back to your community, and you’ll be part of our brilliant community of volunteers. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!”
“My mentor helped me a lot because when I tried to say something I couldn’t express it, but he told me that I could try and keep trying, even if I get it wrong, so that I can express myself better.”
Rawan, ReachOut Mentee
“At first, I was really hesitant to take on the Project Leader role, despite having mentored with ReachOut. However, with the support of the team I’ve really developed my skills. For example, at the Mentee Graduation, I stood up in front of 200 people and presented an award which is something I would never ever have been able to have done before, and isn’t an opportunity I could gain in my other situations.”
Amy McCutcheon, Project Leader at ReachOut Academy, Dean Trust Ardwick, Manchester.
“Being able to spend the summer working at Rede Partners, was an amazing experience. Whether it was working in HR or Finance, I learned so much about the world of private equity, made great connections with fantastic people and I got to learn first-hand what it would be like to work there! I really believe that I can go onto build the career I want now I’ve been a part for a workplace for real”
Victor Adekunle, 18 years old, ReachOut Ambassador, London
“When I first my mentee, she was very reluctant to participate in the sessions. Now, I see a completely different person! Her confidence has grown and she is happy to join in! She still has some self-doubt when it comes to academic work, but that’s what I hope to help her overcome, because she is a very bright person!
Through mentoring, I’ve learnt I’m a lot more patient than I realised. There will be days where she refuses to participate and those are the days that I really see the importance of the character strengths, for both the mentees and the mentors. It also makes it easier for the mentee to understand the character strengths, when I use them myself”
Myrtle, ReachOut Club mentor at Tufnell Primary School, London
“There are more distractions than ever outside of school, and the commitment of our students to attend ReachOut sessions is testament to the value they place on the relationships they foster there, and the challenge and enjoyment they provide.
ReachOut’s focus on communication skills and character development has become an important aspect of our provision of support for these students. The opportunity to relate to a positive role- model other than their usual teachers is key to the programme’s impact, and the evidence of this has been seen in the students’ attendance, resilience and to their overall progress across all the subjects in the school.”
Thomas Janvrin, Assistant Vice Principal at the Petchey Academy London
