You apply for your DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check through Personnel Checks, tiney's DBS provider. There are separate applications for childminders, household members and regular visitors, and assistants, so pick the right link below. The application is online, costs £51.50 per person, and most checks come back within 4 to 8 weeks.
⚠️ Once you submit your DBS application, you can't edit it, and the fee is non-refundable. If it's withdrawn because of an error, you'll need to reapply and pay again. If you're unsure about anything, message your advisor in the app before you submit.
Who needs a DBS check
You need one if you're a tiney childminder or assistant. Everyone aged 16 or over who lives in your home or visits regularly needs one too.
Choose the right application
Each type of applicant has its own link. Use the one that matches you:
Childminder working from your own home: Start your application
Childminder working in someone else's home, or a non-domestic setting: Start your application
Household member or regular visitor (aged 16+): Start your application
Assistant, including assistants who live with the childminder: Start your application
You'll also find these links in the DBS applications task in the tiney app.
If you're paying with Klarna, don't use these links. Order through the tiney shop instead (see below) and Personnel Checks will email you a link to your application.
Applications made through the wrong link may be withdrawn. If you're not sure which one is yours, ask your advisor first.
We recommend filling in the application on a laptop or tablet rather than a phone.
Why Personnel Checks?
tiney partners with Personnel Checks to run the actual DBS submissions. Your application is set up with the right "home-based" status that childminders need. If you apply through another provider, you might get the wrong type of DBS. Always check with your advisor first.
What to have ready
Before you start, gather:
5 years of address history, with the month and year for each address, and any flat, room or house numbers
Any previous names, with from/to dates. If you're married and kept your surname, you still need to fill this in (see common errors below)
Your ID documents (see below)
A payment method: debit or credit card, or Klarna if you'd like to spread the cost
Spreading the cost with Klarna
If you'd like to pay in instalments, buy your DBS through the tiney shop and choose Klarna at checkout. It costs £53 per check (the £51.50 DBS fee plus a £1.50 admin fee), spread over 3 months. You can also find this in the DBS applications task in the tiney app.
When you order:
Buy one check for each person who needs one. If three people in your home need a DBS, buy 3.
Use the same email address as your tiney account so we can match the check to your application.
Enter your tiney home name at checkout, or "Trainee" if you're still training.
Personnel Checks will then email you details of how to log in and complete your application. You don't need to use the application links above.
ID verification
Everyone starts with online ID verification in the Personnel Checks app. Post Office verification is only a backup, for when you can't complete the online check with the documents you have.
1. Online ID Verification (always start here)
You upload two ID documents through the Personnel Checks app and they're checked digitally. This happens before you fill in the rest of the application and is the quickest route.
Accepted documents (pick any two):
Passport (accepted from 200+ countries)
Driving licence (accepted from 100+ countries)
National identity card (accepted from 60+ countries)
UK CitizenCard
UK Young Scot Card
UK Post Office PASS Card
Most people use a passport and a driving licence. If you only have one of these (or neither), one of the other documents will work.
2. Post Office In-branch Verification (backup only)
If you can't complete online verification with the documents you have (say you don't have two from the list above, or one doesn't read clearly), select Other Documents during the online verification process. This takes you to the Post Office verification option.
You'll then get a QR code. Take it to the Post Office along with 3 acceptable ID documents and they'll check them in person.
Don't go to the Post Office until you've finished the online process and have your QR code. The Post Office can't verify you without it.
You'll need three documents: 1 primary and 2 supporting.
Primary (pick one):
Passport (valid, or a UK passport expired no more than 6 months)
Driving licence (full or provisional)
National ID card
Biometric Residence Permit (showing indefinite leave to enter/remain)
Supporting (pick two from different sources):
Utility bill (gas, electric, water; received in the post in the last 3 months)
Bank or building society statement (full statement; received in the post or printed at the branch; last 3 months)
Council tax bill (last 12 months)
Broadband or landline bill (last 3 months)
Birth or adoption certificate (UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man)
Mortgage statement (last 12 months)
Marriage/civil partnership certificate
Bank opening letter (last 3 months)
Benefit statement, e.g. child allowance, pension (last 3 months)
HM Forces ID card or Veteran Card
Paper driving licence (not the counterpart style)
P45 or P60 statement (last 12 months)
Financial statement, e.g. pension, ISA (last 12 months)
PASS Card (still valid)
All documents must be valid, current and original (no photocopies, no internet printouts).
Personnel Checks publishes the full list of accepted documents if you want to check an edge case.
Common errors to avoid
These are the most common reasons applications get delayed or withdrawn:
Using the wrong application link. Check you've picked the right one from the list above before you start.
Going to the Post Office too early. Finish the online process and get your QR code first.
Names not matching ID. Enter your name exactly as it appears on your passport or driving licence, including all middle names. No initials or shortened names. If your passport says "Jonathan", don't enter "Jon".
Date of birth. You pick your date of birth from drop-down menus rather than typing it. If it's wrong after you submit, you'll need to contact Personnel Checks to fix it.
"Other Names" left blank when you've changed your name. If you've ever changed your name (marriage, deed poll, etc.), enter the previous name with the dates you used it.
Married but kept your surname. Select Yes to the name change question and enter your same surname again.
Missing flat, room or house numbers. If an address has one, use Manual Entry to add it rather than relying on the address lookup.
Address history gaps. You need a continuous 5-year history. Every month must be covered.
Unticked consent boxes. Tick every box in the Consent section before you submit.
Check everything before you hit submit. Once it's in, you can't change it.
Address history tips
The 5-year address history catches a lot of people out. Here are a few specific cases.
If you had "no fixed abode" for a period
Fill in the address fields for that period with "NO FIXED ABODE" (in the street, postcode and other fields) and add the dates.
If you were a university student
Use your parents' address (or another permanent home address) as your current address, and list your student accommodation under "other addresses" with month and year dates. Personnel Checks will use your parents' address to fill any gaps between student tenancies.
You can list your student address as current if you'd rather, but you'll still need to list your parents' or permanent address under "other addresses" with full dates.
Don't write "current", "still there" or "present" in any date field. Use the actual month and year.
If you spend time at a second address for work
If you spend months at a time at a work address that isn't your home, list it under "other addresses" with month and year dates. You don't need to list hotels or short stays.
If you've lived abroad
Include overseas addresses with month and year dates. Your DBS still goes through Personnel Checks. You may also need a Letter of Good Conduct from any country you lived in for 6 months or more.
What happens after you submit
Application submitted. You'll get a confirmation email and a reference number.
ID verified. Either online, or at a Post Office if you used the backup option.
Submitted to DBS. This happens once your ID is verified.
DBS processes the check. Usually 4 to 8 weeks.
You'll get an email at each stage. You can also check progress by logging in to your Personnel Checks account.
Your DBS applications task in the tiney app is marked complete automatically by Personnel Checks, or by someone in the tiney team. You don't need to do anything.
How long it takes
Most checks come back within 4 to 8 weeks. The DBS doesn't fast-track applications, and neither tiney nor Personnel Checks can speed yours up.
A few things can make it take longer:
A police force needs to do extra checks (more common in some areas)
The DBS asks you for more information (you'll get an email if so)
You've moved a lot in the last 5 years, so more local police forces need to check
There are errors in the application (see common errors above)
You can keep going with the rest of your training while you wait.
If you haven't heard anything after 8 weeks
Message your advisor and we'll check the status with Personnel Checks and the DBS.
If you change your name during the process
If your legal name changes (marriage, deed poll, etc.) while your DBS is in progress, you'll need to apply for a new one in your new name. Neither tiney nor Personnel Checks can amend a DBS. Only the DBS can reissue one. Let your advisor know.
After your certificate arrives
Take a clear photo of every page and keep it somewhere safe. If your paper certificate gets lost or damaged, you can get a replacement from gov.uk (there's a fee).
Think about signing up to the DBS Update Service (£16 a year). It lets your check be renewed online instead of starting from scratch every three years. If you plan to be a tiney childminder for more than 3 years, it pays for itself.