Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

The England and Wales Cricket Board is firmly committed to creating a safe and enjoyable environment for children to enjoy the game.

Key to this is the recruitment and vetting of the many invaluable individuals who create many rewarding experiences in cricket.

All organisations working with children have safeguarding responsibilities and clear requirements placed upon them by legislation and guidance.

This applies whether you are a club, league panel or another organisation. It is there to ensure safe recruitment practices for individuals who work with children, including policies on when to obtain a criminal record check.

The ECB guidance on the roles in cricket that require a vetting check is available here.

The roles in cricket that require ECB vetting include:

  • Umpire
  • Scorer

Please be aware this is a mandatory requirement and all officials regardless of where they are appointed should have a vetted Cricket DBS. Unfortunately DBS checks undertaken by other organisations are not transferable to cricket – to fulfil a role in cricket which requires a DBS the individual will need to complete the below process

ECB DBS checks have now moved to an online system – there are no paper applications involved.

The system is quick and simple to use.

For volunteers, once you have initially completed the online DBS once, your application will remain on the system and will be automatically annually checked and renewed where appropriate. This removes the need for volunteers in cricket to manually renew their application every three years.

How to apply for a Cricket DBS

The online application has to be started by someone within cricket who knows you and the role that you are carrying out. This provides the game with an extra level of security and prevents anyone from falsely obtaining an ECB DBS certificate if they are not actually involved in cricket. Should you wish to apply for a Cricket DBS please either email our memberships officer Sue Redfern: (Link)  or alternatively if you are connected with a Cricket Club you can ask your Club Welfare Officer to initiate this application.

Once your application is initiated, you will receive an email with easy-to-follow instructions to help you make your application. There is a helpdesk function within the system.

Please note A cricket DBS is one which covers all roles within cricket – you only need to have one cricket DBS; not one for each role you may undertake (eg. Coach and Umpire – you don’t need two DBS just one Cricket DBS).

What if my DBS check is not clear?

All convictions, cautions and other items of information provided by the DBS certificate are assessed for their relevancy in respect of safeguarding children and an individual’s suitability to work with children.

Please note that the ECB may request further information from any individual who has a conviction which is deemed to be potentially relevant.

The existence of any previous conviction(s) and/or caution(s) will not necessarily prevent an individual from being involved in cricket; that will depend on the nature and circumstance of the conviction(s)/caution(s) or information provided in relation to the Disclosure.

The ECB has a policy statement on the recruitment of ex-offenders which can be found by clicking here.

Who will know about my criminal convictions?

If convictions are revealed through a Vetting Check, only the ECB Safeguarding Team will be aware of these, unless there is a need to share information with others in order to protect children.

All information is kept confidential and managed within a secure environment, in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. Where information is shared, this is done in accordance with the requirements of ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2015’.

Please note: There is no reason for anybody to ask to see your actual DBS certificate, those who need to know you are cleared to work in Cricket will have access to a cricket online database which provides confirmation you have been vetted to work in cricket in the roles which require vetting.

More information on obtaining a Cricket DBS, including if you have previously lived abroad or are an overseas applicant, can be found here:https://www.ecb.co.uk/safeguarding/dbs-checks-ecb-vetting