Josh has been in regular contact with the helpline since 2017 and we have provided him with information and advice around disclosure for university and job applications.
Although his two convictions are over 10 years old, neither of them would be eligible for filtering and both would appear on his enhanced DBS certificate. Nevertheless, he was able to secure a place at university to study for a degree in counselling and has worked in a variety of jobs to support himself whilst studying.
Several months ago, Josh telephoned the helpline to let us know that he had been accepted to study for a Masters at a university suggested by Unlock as having a particularly inclusive admissions policy. He had been working as a delivery driver and said that whilst he was earning a good salary, he really wanted to move into a more ‘care giving’ role.
He explained that he had been offered a job as a Support Worker which would require an enhanced DBS check. However, he was worried about handing in his notice to his current employer, as he wasn’t sure whether the new one would revoke his job offer once they’d had sight of his DBS certificate.
We advised Josh to try and arrange a face-to-face meeting with his new employer so that he could disclose his convictions prior to her seeing them on his DBS certificate. We reassured him that this disclosure was no different to the others he had done in the past and from what we’d seen, he had always been able to disclose really well.
A couple of weeks later, Josh gave us a call to tell us that he had just started his new Support Worker role and was absolutely loving it.
“You have been so helpful over the years and I would not have made some of the positive steps that I have taken without your input.”
Notes
- This case relates to Unlock’s helpline.
- Name and details have been changed to protect the identity of those involved.
- Published July 2023.
