What we do

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

DBS is an executive non-departmental public body of the Home Office.

Read more about what we do

We work on these topics

  1. Employment

    To boost the number of jobs and create a flexible labour market, the government is modernising employment law while protecting employee rights. To increase the number of people in employment, we need to support them into work through the benefits system and job search support. Read more

  2. Crime and policing

    Crime must be reduced and prevented to ensure people feel safe in their homes and communities. The government supports visible, responsive and accountable policing by empowering the public and freeing up the police to fight crime. Read more

We produce detailed guidance in these categories

  1. Criminal record disclosure

    Guidance on criminal record checks from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for recruitment and protection. Read more

Our policies

  1. Helping employers make safer recruiting decisions

    How the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) provides criminal records checking and barring functions to help employers make safer recruitment decisions.

See all our policies

Documents

Our announcements

  1. Do you use the DBS Adult First service?

    • 12 March 2014
    • News story

  2. 100,000 subscribers take advantage of DBS update service

    • 28 February 2014
    • Press release

See all our announcements

Our publications

  1. Sue Quigley expenses: December 2012 - September 2013

    • 7 March 2014
    • Transparency data

  2. Mehmuda Mian expenses: December 2012 - September 2013

    • 7 March 2014
    • Transparency data

See all our publications

Our statistics

  1. DBS criminal record checks: police performance

    • 6 March 2014
    • Statistics

  2. DBS criminal record check, barring and referral performance

    • 19 February 2014
    • Statistics

See all our statistics

Our management

Contact DBS

DBS disclosure service

DBS customer services
PO Box 110
Liverpool
L69 3JD

Go to the DBS online tracking service to check on the progress of an application. Tracking an application is much quicker online. The link to this service is available at the top of this homepage.

Phone line is open 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 10am to 5pm on Saturday. You may be asked some security questions to verify your identity. Please note that 0870 telephone calls are charged at the national rate. All calls to this number are recorded for training and security purposes.

If emailing us, please include your full name, address telephone number and, if relevant, any DBS references numbers in your correspondence. This will help us to link it to your DBS application.

Certificate enquiries

PO Box 165
Liverpool
L69 3JD

Contact us if you feel your DBS certificate is inaccurate, including incorrect personal details, incorrect conviction information or other discrepancies. If you receive a DBS certificate with a conviction that doesn't relate to you, you should inform the person who requested that you complete the form as soon as possible.

The phone line is open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday only.

Sensitive applications

Sensitive applications team
Customer services
PO Box 165
Liverpool
L69 3JD

We have a confidential checking process for transgender applicants who do not wish to reveal details of their previous identity to the person who has asked them to complete an application form for a DBS check.

DBS barring referrals

DBS barring referrals
PO Box 181
Darlington
DL1 9FA

We cannot guarantee the security of information until it is in our possession, and will not take responsibility for such information until we receive it. We recommend sending referrals and related information by registered post. However, queries and other items less than 10MB in size can be emailed to us.

Queries relating to criminal record check issues cannot be answered through this contact. Callers will be referred to the disclosure helpline number 0870 90 90 811.

Media enquiries

The DBS press office only deals with enquiries from the media. Any general enquiries will be directed to use our helpline number 0870 90 90 811.

FOI requests

DBS Freedom of Information Officer
Policy Department
PO Box 165
Liverpool
L69 3JD

If you wish to submit a new request under the Freedom of Information Act please contact the DBS.

Make an FOI request

  1. Read about the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and how to make a request
  2. Check our previous releases to see if we’ve already answered your question

Corporate information

Jobs and contracts

Read about the types of information we routinely publish in our Publication scheme. Find out about our commitment to publishing in the Welsh language scheme. Our Personal information charter explains how we treat your personal information.

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