Disclosures

Writers undertaking work in education are generally required to have an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service. When entering into a contract with a particular school or other institution, it may well be that the 'employer' makes a specific Disclosure Application on your behalf at the time. It is however useful for freelance writers to have an Enhanced Disclosure which they can present as and when necessary. An individual cannot make such an application themselves to the DBS but NAWE can process the application on behalf of Professional Members based in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. (Scotland has its own system which is managed by Disclosure Scotland.)

If you would like to take advantage of this service, please contact NAWE Admin.

The application process is an online form where you can upload copies of your proof of ID documents to the platform so you do not need to send physical copies to us in the post. The fee to process the application is £65.00 payable by BACS, once payment has been received Admin will send you a list of the original documents which can be used to support your application and are available to support you with the application if needed. If possible, do please ensure that at least one of these documents is from Group 1 (passport or driving licence) otherwise there could be a considerable delay in processing the form.

The DBS has introduced an Update Service in order to make it possible for individuals with a DBS Certificate to keep it up to date. The Certificate can then be used for work across roles with children and/or vulnerable adults, avoiding the expense and time taken to get a new one. This could mean that only one DBS certificate is needed. The cost of the Update Service is £13 per individual, per year. Further details here. Please note that it is up to the organisation's discretion whether they accept the information held by the Update Service, some organisations may still require you to apply for a new Enhanced DBS check.