How do we vet a freelance carer's DBS and right-to-work before they cover a shift?

Before accepting a freelance carer for a shift, confirm two things at minimum: a valid enhanced DBS check (ideally registered with the DBS Update Service so you can verify its status online in seconds) and a completed right-to-work check using a certified identity document or the Home Office online service. Don't rely on a carer's word or a photo of an old certificate — you need to see current, verifiable evidence, and you need a record of having checked it, because CQC and safeguarding responsibility for that shift sits with you.

Why this matters

When you borrow a carer you didn't recruit yourself, you're extending trust — and regulatory responsibility — to someone your usual vetting process never touched. If an inspector or safeguarding investigation asks "how did you know this person was cleared to deliver personal care?", "an agency said they were fine" isn't a good enough answer. You need your own evidence trail, however that carer came to you.

What "vetting" actually means here

DBS verification before shift

• Enhanced DBS check, appropriate to care work with vulnerable adults.
• Ideally the carer is subscribed to the DBS Update Service — this lets you check their certificate status online, with their consent, without waiting weeks for a new certificate every time they move between providers.
• If they're not on the Update Service, you need sight of the original certificate and should judge how recent it is — a DBS check is a point-in-time record, not an ongoing guarantee.

Right to work check for a carer

• A right-to-work check confirms someone is legally permitted to work in the UK, using either an original document check in person or a Home Office online check via a share code.
• This must use a UK DIATF-certified identity service provider (IDSP) if you're doing it digitally, or follow Home Office manual document-check guidance.
• Right-to-work checks have statutory excuse implications for the employer/engager — get this wrong and the liability is real, not theoretical.

Beyond DBS and RTW

• Identity verification (they are who they say they are).
• Evidence of relevant training/competencies for the visit type (e.g. medication administration).
• A record of who checked what, and when — for your own audit trail as well as CQC.

Practical steps to vet a freelance carer before a shift

1. Ask for the DBS certificate number and Update Service status — verify online with consent, don't just eyeball a photo.
2. Run or confirm a right-to-work check — via certified IDSP or Home Office share code, before the first shift, not after.
3. Check identity documents match the DBS and right-to-work records — same name, same person.
4. Record the check — date, method, who did it — so you can show it later.
5. Repeat sensibly — DBS and right-to-work status can change; don't treat one check as good forever, especially for occasional freelancers.

If any of this is unclear for your organisation's specific situation, it's worth checking directly with the DBS and Home Office right-to-work guidance rather than relying on informal practice — the rules have nuances around agency workers vs. self-employed freelancers that are easy to get wrong.

How carer sharing platforms should handle this

This is exactly the objection that stops agencies sharing staff informally — nobody wants to inherit someone else's vetting risk. Nanum's approach is to verify a freelance carer once, at the platform level, so the checks (identity, DBS) don't need repeating from scratch every time they pick up work with a different agency or care home. Verification uses a certified identity provider, and DBS status is checked against the Update Service where the carer is subscribed.

Critically, verification doesn't remove your own judgement from the loop. Nanum's matching engine will suggest a verified freelancer or partner-agency carer for a gap, with a confidence score — but a human at your organisation still reviews and approves the match before the carer is confirmed for the shift. Nothing is auto-assigned. You can see the verification status attached to a suggested carer as part of that approval decision, which is what turns "a stranger from another agency" into a carer you can defensibly place with confidence.

FAQ

Does the DBS Update Service replace the need for a check on every new agency? No — it lets you verify an existing certificate's status quickly and legally, rather than commissioning a brand-new DBS check every time. You (or the platform facilitating the match) still need the carer's consent to check, and you should confirm the certificate is the right level (enhanced, with barred-list check) for the work involved.

Who is legally responsible if a shared or freelance carer turns out not to have valid right-to-work status? Responsibility generally sits with whoever is engaging the worker for that shift, which is why agencies need their own evidence trail rather than relying on a verbal assurance from another party. This is nuanced and worth confirming directly with Home Office guidance for your specific engagement structure.

Can a borrowed carer see a resident's full care record before a shift? No — good practice (and Nanum's design) is a consent-scoped, minimum-safe slice of the record plus a short AI-generated handover brief, so a borrowed carer has what they need for safe care without exposure to data they have no reason to see.