DBS and vetting process: Driver and/or Passenger Assistant OCC Transport Badge

Oxfordshire County Council charges for both DBS Appointments and Safeguard and Disability Awareness Training bookings.

Due to inflationary increases, the cost of a DBS appointment is increasing as of 1 April 2025:

• DBS appointments - £91.66 per DBS appointment
• Re-booked DBS appointments - If an applicant fails to arrive for their DBS appointment or comes with incorrect identification documents, which means the appointment cannot proceed, the applicant will be required to pay £29.56 before they can re-book a subsequent DBS appointment.
• Safeguard and Disability Awareness Training - £56.27 per training booking
• Re-booked training: If an applicant fails to arrive for Safeguard and Disability Awareness Training, another booking will have to be made, costing a further £56.27
• DBS Appointments and Safeguard and Disability Training - £147.93 for both

All applications, including new, renewal, replacement, and additional badges, are now made online by an approved Oxfordshire County Council provider on behalf of the badge holder they will be employing. Training videos are available online to assist with using the system.

Before you start

DBS applications

Read the following guide before making an application or contacting us.

• Information on what documents an applicant needs to present when applying for their DBS (pdf format, 173 KB)

Ensure you and your applicants read these guides fully to answer any queries you may have regarding a DBS application

It is vital that all applicants attending a DBS appointment read and understand the identity guidance document above before their appointment. Failure to bring all the current, required documentation will result in them being turned away from their appointment. If this happens, they will need to re-book a subsequent DBS appointment, which will incur an additional charge.

Be aware that to successfully apply via the DBS Update Service, the applicant’s DBS certificate must be in the applicant’s correct name, of the correct level and workforce (Enhanced DBS check, Child and Adult Workforce with Child and Adult Barred lists checked), be confirmed to be current following an update check and be currently subscribed to the service. Failure to meet any of these requirements will mean the applicant is unable to apply via this route.

DBS Update Service users

If you have signed up for the DBS Update Service on the GOV.UK website, you do not pay us for the DBS appointment at the point of renewal. You will need to pay the renewal fee via that service.

Each time your badge is due for renewal, you must still book and pay for Safeguarding and Disability Awareness training through us. Once your Update Service Application has been processed, you will be emailed details of how to make payment.

Paying for an additional DBS appointment

If you missed your appointment, arrived late or arrived with the wrong documents, you need to book and pay for an additional DBS appointment.

The cost of an additional DBS appointment is £32.23

You will receive a link for the repayment and instructions on how to rebook a new appointment.

Safeguarding and Disability Awareness Training guidance

Safeguarding Disability Awareness Training Manual (pdf format, 517Kb) – This guide contains all information taught to applicants during their safeguarding and Disability Awareness training session. This includes details and key contacts on how to report a safeguarding alert and contact the transport hub's relevant department.

Please see the training website Safeguarding and disability awareness training for drivers of vulnerable passengers for more details

Joint Operating Framework (JOF) for the Transportation of Children and Adults with Care and Support Needs and Taxi Licensing in Oxfordshire

The JOF (pdf format, 723Kb) provides a single set of minimum standards for agencies with responsibilities for transporting children and adults with care and support needs in Oxfordshire, including addressing vetting, training, awareness-raising, information sharing, policy alignment, enforcement activity, and quality assurance and monitoring.

Terms and conditions

The following terms and conditions apply to those seeking to complete a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check via a DBS appointment facilitated by OCC as part of their application for an Oxfordshire County Council Transport Badge.

DBS appointment content

1. The appointment will involve the following steps:
   
   • Production of required identification documents by applicant; these will be checked and scanned by OCC staff members.
   • Completion of online DBS application by the applicant on an OCC laptop.
   • Photograph of applicant taken.
2. Applicants are given a time slot per appointment to fully complete all the above steps of the DBS Appointment.
3. Attendees must read and understand the Identity Guidance Document prior to the appointment to ensure they bring all the required documentation with them. Failure to do so will result in them being turned away from the appointment.

Bookings

1. A DBS appointment will only be offered following receipt of a valid badging application form and successful payment.
2. On receipt of the badging application form and payment, applicants will be contacted by the DBS and Vetting team to inform them of when an appointment is available for them to attend. Bookings will be confirmed by email. Applicants must not attend an appointment unless they have received email confirmation of the booking.
3. Please refrain from contacting the team to chase an appointment unless they have been in touch with you to offer an available date and time.

Attendance at DBS appointment

1. The applicant must attend the DBS appointment specified within the booking confirmation email they receive.
2. An attendee must arrive with all the required documents to proceed with the DBS appointment.
3. An attendee will be turned away from the appointment if they are unable to produce valid, current and original copies of all the required documentation, as per the Identity Guidance document circulated with their booking confirmation and available on the DBS & Vetting website: https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/schools/travelling-school/information-travel-providers/dbs-and-vetting-process
4. Attendees not booked for a DBS appointment with a booking confirmation will be turned away and unable to attend.
5. Applicants must arrive on time for their booked appointment. Attendees who arrive more than five minutes later than the confirmed start time of their confirmed booking will be unable to complete their appointment and will be turned away.

Incomplete appointments

1. Any applicant who does not provide the correct quantities and types of the required documentation will be unable to complete the appointment and will need to re-book a subsequent DBS appointment.
2. Any applicant who is unable to complete the online DBS application form within their thirty-minute appointment slot will be asked to leave the appointment without completing it and will need to re-book a subsequent DBS appointment.

Level of charges

The level of charges are those described

Non-attendance

1. Applicants will not be admitted to a DBS Appointment if they do not arrive at the allocated council office within five minutes of the confirmed date and start time of the appointment.
2. Any applicant who does not attend the DBS Appointment within five minutes of the confirmed date and start time of the appointment will be considered as having not attended and no refund will be provided.

Cancellations

1. Cancellations must be emailed a minimum of two working days before the confirmed date and time of the DBS Appointment to Transport.vetting@oxfordshire.gov.uk
2. For cancellations made two working days or more before the confirmed date and time of the DBS Appointment session, the DBS & Vetting team will offer an alternative DBS Appointment date before a refund is considered.
3. Cancellations made less than two working days prior to the start date and time of the confirmed DBS appointment booking will be considered late cancellations, and the booking will be cancelled, and no refund will be provided.

Refunds

1. Refunds will not be offered for late cancellations, non-attendance, or late arrivals.
2. Refunds will not be offered if an applicant fails to complete a DBS appointment and is turned away because they have not brought all the correct documentation with them to their appointment as detailed within the Identity Guidance document.
3. Refunds will not be offered if an applicant fails to complete the online DBS application form within the allocated booking slot.
4. If you wish to appeal a charge, you must provide written details of why you wish to appeal the charge to transport.vetting@oxfordshire.gov.uk within twenty-eight days of the payment.
5. These appeals will be either approved or not by the management within the Oxfordshire County Council Supported Transport Service and you will be informed of the decision once it has been made via email. We will, in exceptional circumstances, waive the charge for cancellations if a valid reason is provided.