What is this feature?
Volunteero allows clients to automate the DBS check process for volunteers through a native integration with Verifile, a market leading provider of verification services. This feature allows organisations to configure their DBS setup, add checks as steps in journeys and track and monitor everything within Volunteero.
Before we get started, have you requested an account?
Your organisation must have an account created with Verifile. To do this you must submit a request here.
When creating a Verifile account through Volunteero you will benefit from our partner pricing discount:
DBS Basic Check: £5.99 (excl. VAT)
DBS Enhanced Check: £5.99 (excl. VAT)
DBS-related Identity Verification: £3.99 (excl. VAT)
Getting Connected
Once your Verifile account has been set up, the Volunteero Customer Success team will connect it to your Volunteero account.
To confirm that the connection has been completed, navigate to Verification Checks → Background Checks → Settings.
At the top of the configuration page, you should see Connected with a green dot. Under Verifile Account, it should display "Verifile connected via Volunteero account."
If you can see both of these, your setup is complete and your Verifile account is successfully connected through Volunteero.
If you don't see this status, it means either you don't yet have a Verifile account or your Verifile account has not yet been connected to your Volunteero account.
In this case, please contact support@volunteero.org, and we'll be happy to help.
You can also connect an existing Verifile account that was not created through Volunteero. However, please note that these accounts are not covered by our partnership with Verifile, so you will not be eligible for our discounted partner pricing.
If you'd like to connect an existing Verifile account, please email support@volunteero.org, and we'll guide you through the setup process.
Configuration
We recommend configuring your background check settings before enabling this feature. It's also a good idea to test it in Test Mode before rolling it out to your volunteers.
The Volunteero platform can support automatic or staff approved renewals and what you configure here will be the driver of that.
Check Expiry - It will dictate how long a DBS check is valid for before it expires on a volunteer profile.
Early Renewal widow - You can also set a date for the renewal. How long before expiry a new check can be started. Set to "No early renewal" to require the previous one to expire first.
Require manual review for renewals - Choose whether staff must manually review volunteer renewals. Turn this off to automatically approve renewals for volunteers returning to the same role they were previously cleared for. Renewals involving a new or upgraded role will always require manual review.
Job Roles - Under the "Job Roles" you can select your job roles. If these don't show up instantly your account might still be syncing with Verifile. All Standard and Enhanced DBS checks must be made including a job role. You may have multiple roles you use for volunteers undertaking different volunteering roles, that's fine. You just need to select all job roles that are applicable across your volunteers for both standard and enhanced checks.
What if I don't see a job role that fits?
The job roles are provided by Verifile. We can always get additional job roles setup for you, please reachout to support@volunteero.org and type speak to person for more information and next steps.
Here is a hierarchy of all the different types of DBS Checks, higher levels satisfy all lower levels underneath them.
Test Mode
Before sending real DBS applications to Verifile, you may want to test the entire workflow from a volunteer's perspective. To do this, enable Test Mode in the Background Checks Settings screen. When Test Mode is enabled, any DBS checks you create are for testing purposes only and will not be submitted to Verifile or the DBS.
You can then:
Add a DBS check to a test onboarding journey and enrol yourself to experience the process as a volunteer.
Manually create a new DBS application for yourself to test the workflow.
This is a great way to ensure your configuration and onboarding journey are working as expected before going live.
Enabling Background Checks
Now that your Verifile account is connected, you've configured your renewal settings and job roles, and you've completed your testing, you're ready to enable Background Checks.
To do this, simply switch on the Enable Background Checks toggle at the top of the Background Check Settings page and turn off test mode, so no DBS checks are skipped and auto-passed.
Once enabled, your organisation will be ready to start processing DBS checks through Volunteero.
How to trigger the DBS checks?
Automatically - Onboarding Journeys & Missions
Manually - Volunteer Profile or Background check page)
Onboarding journeys
In order to add DBS checks to onboarding journeys, simply open the onboarding journey you wish to add a DBS check to.
Press "Verification Check"
Select "Background Check"
Choose the level of check
Select the relevant job role
It is important to note that you can only select one job role per onboarding journey.
You can then move the verification check step to a different position in the onboarding journey.
Pro Tip: DBS checks cost you money! If you are using automated onboarding, you might wish to have a step before the DBS which requires staff sign off AND require that onboarding journey to be completed in order. This means your staff have a touchpoint where they are deciding if that applicant should be taken forward to be allowed to do their DBS check.
Once done, background checks will now be enabled and required for volunteers in that journey.
Missions
On your missions, you can now set Verification Checks as a requirement. This allows volunteers to start their DBS check directly from the mission,
Manually start a new application
In some instances, you may need to manually start a background check application on behalf of a volunteer. This can be done in two ways:
Option 1: From the Background Checks order page
Navigate to Verification Checks > Background Checks.
Open the relevant Order Page.
Click + Request Check to begin the process.
Option 2: From the volunteer profile
Go to the volunteer’s profile.
Select the Verification tab.
Navigate to Background Check and click + Request Check.
You can then select the appropriate DBS product and role. Once submitted, the check process will begin and the volunteer will be automatically notified with instructions to complete their application.
Record a manual check
In some instances you may wish to record a manual DBS check that had been completed before using the Volunteero-Verifile integration or perhaps the volunteer provided an existing DBS certificate. You can do so directly from the volunteer profile. Select the Verification tab, navigate to Background Check and click + Manual Record.
You can select the DBS product, completion date and note. This will mean the volunteer can conduct missions requiring the relevant level of DBS check.
Monitoring DBS checks
We are always looking for ways to make managing your volunteers easier. That’s why there are three places where you can monitor DBS checks across the platform:
Verification Checks: From the left-hand menu in the management platform, select Verification Checks and navigate to Background Checks. Here, you’ll find a complete overview of all DBS activity, including current orders, renewals, upgrades, and results. This provides the most detailed view of all background checks and renewal activity taking place across the system.
Journey Volunteers: Any DBS checks started as part of a volunteer journey can be monitored through the Journey Progress view for the individual volunteer. This allows you to track the progress of checks linked to their journey.
Volunteer Profile: For a complete history of a volunteer’s DBS checks, open their profile and navigate to the Background Checks tab. Here, you can view all previous and current background check information for that volunteer.
There is also an Overview page for all verification checks, including ID and DBS checks. This provides a central view of any actions that require your attention, helping you stay on top of outstanding tasks.
You can also see key activity insights, including the number of applications submitted this month and how many checks are currently in progress.
DBS Statuses Explained
Completed - The check has been completed and was either clear or manually signed off by staff
In Progress - The volunteer is either completing their part or the DBS is yet to action it
In Review - This means the check did not come back clear. The only way to know what is to request the certificate from the volunteer. You cannot see details on the Verifile platform
Awaiting ID - The volunteer did not use the digital ID check and therefore this check requires manual ID check from staff
Cancelled - The check has been cancelled by a staff member for the volunteer
Video Tutorial
As always, if you require any further assistance with this, please use the support button in your Staff Dashboard or email us at support@volunteero.org. Our team will be happy to help! 😊