About us
The Disclosure and Barring Service helps employers make safer recruitment decisions.
Introduction to DBS
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions each year by processing and issuing DBS checks for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. DBS also maintains the Adults’ and Children’s Barred Lists, and makes considered decisions as to whether an individual should be included on one or both of these lists and barred from engaging in regulated activity.
DBS checks
There are 4 types of DBS check, and the results of each check are issued directly to the individual applicant. Employers can then ask to see the check to ensure that they are recruiting suitable people into their organisation.
The four levels of DBS check are:
- Basic DBS check
- Standard DBS check
- Enhanced DBS check
- Enhanced with Barred List(s) DBS check
The information contained on each type of check is different.
Basic DBS check
A Basic DBS check is for any purpose, including employment. The check will contain details of convictions and conditional cautions that are considered to be unspent under the terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974.
An individual can apply for a Basic check directly to DBS through our online application route, or an employer can apply for a basic check on an individual’s behalf, through a Responsible Organisation, if they have consent.
Standard DBS check
A Standard DBS check is suitable for certain roles, such as applying for a security guard licence. The check will contain details of both spent and unspent convictions and cautions that are held on the Police National Computer, which are not subject to filtering.
An individual cannot apply for a Standard DBS check by themselves. There must be a recruiting organisation who needs the applicant to get the check. This is then sent to DBS through a Registered Body.
The service is free for volunteers.
Enhanced DBS check and Enhanced with Barred List(s) DBS check
An Enhanced DBS check is suitable for people working with children or adults and other specified roles or license purposes as explained in our eligibility guidance.
The check will contain the same details as a Standard DBS check and may also contain non-conviction information supplied by police forces if it is deemed relevant and ought to be contained in the certificate.
If the role is eligible, an employer can also request that one or both of the DBS Barred Lists are checked. This will largely be for roles that are in regulated activity with children or adults, but also includes a small number of roles that aren’t carrying out regulated activity.
An individual cannot apply for an Enhanced DBS check for themselves, unless they are a paid self-employed or a personal employee and the work they are undertaking is eligible. Otherwise, there must be a recruiting organisation who needs the applicant to get the check, which is then sent to DBS through a Registered Body.
The service is free for volunteers.
Eligibility
Eligibility for Standard, Enhanced, and Enhanced with Barred Lists DBS checks is prescribed in legislation. Recruiters should only request a DBS check on an individual when they are legally allowed to do so – they must be entitled by law to ask an individual to reveal their full criminal history. This is known as asking ‘an exempted question.’
An exempted question applies when the individual will be working in specific occupations, for certain licences and specified positions. These are covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
The minimum age at which someone can be asked to apply for a criminal record check is 16 years old.
The DBS eligibility tool can be used to determine what type of check a role could be eligible for, as can our eligibility guidance.
Barring
An Enhanced with Barred Lists DBS check will include a check of one or both of the Barred Lists that DBS manages and maintains. If an individual is listed, this will appear on their Enhanced with Barred List DBS check.
It is our responsibility at DBS to maintain these lists. This area of our work involves making fair, consistent, and thorough decisions that are appropriate to the behaviour that has occurred, and consider the risk of future harm.
People are brought to the attention of our barring team in one of three ways:
- Automatic barring offence, also known as ‘Autobar’
- Disclosure
- Referral
Automatic, also known as Autobar
This is when someone has been newly-convicted or cautioned for a serious offence and they are considered for immediate barring, either with or without the opportunity to make representations. This information comes from the Police National Computer.
Disclosure
This is when someone applies for an Enhanced DBS check to work with children or adults in certain circumstances, such as those in receipt of healthcare or personal care, and the check reveals relevant information that results in the individual being considered for inclusion on one or both of the Barred Lists.
Referral
This is when an employer, volunteer manager, or other organisation has concerns that someone has either caused harm or has the potential to cause harm to vulnerable groups and submits a barring referral to DBS.
Regulated activity providers (employers or volunteer managers of people working in regulated activity in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland) and personnel suppliers have a legal duty to refer to DBS where certain conditions are met.
Referrals can be made online or via post. To submit an online referral, create a DBS online account and once logged in, select ‘submit a referral’. Alternatively, you can complete the DBS paper referral form and send to:
Disclosure and Barring Service
PO Box 3963
Royal Wootton Bassett
SN4 4HH
It is important that anyone referring someone to us provides as much information as possible. More information regarding barring referrals can be found in our barring referrals guidance.
Barring representations
Where an individual is the subject of any of the above three barring referral types (excluding ‘Autobar without representation’), the individual will be given the opportunity to provide ‘representations’ as to why they feel it would be inappropriate or disproportionate for DBS to include them on one or both of the Barred Lists.
DBS will consider the individual’s representations before making a final barring decision. Further information about barring representations can be found in our barring referrals: making representations guidance.
Test for regulated activity
DBS can only bar a person from working within regulated activity with children or adults if we believe the person is, has been, or might in the future be, engaged in regulated activity.
The only exception to this is where a person is cautioned or convicted for a relevant (automatic barring) offence and is not eligible to submit representations against their inclusion on a Barred List.
Where a person is cautioned or convicted of a relevant (automatic barring) offence with the right to make representations, DBS will ask the person to submit their representations and consider these before making a final barring decision.
Update Service
The Update Service is an online subscription, for Standard, Enhanced and Enhanced with Barred Lists DBS checks, that allows applicants to keep their DBS certificates up-to-date and allows employers to view an applicant’s certificate.
The Update Service cannot currently be used for Basic DBS checks.
Who we work with
DBS works with a number of different organisations and departments, including but not limited to:
- Police forces in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man – the police provide information that is held locally, or on the Police National Computer
- ACRO Criminal Records Office (ACRO) – manages criminal record information and improves the exchange of criminal records and biometric information
- Responsible Organisations – a Responsible Organisation is an organisation that is registered with DBS to submit Basic DBS checks
- Registered Bodies - a Registered Body is an organisation that is registered with DBS to submit Standard, Enhanced, and Enhanced with Barred Lists DBS checks
Registered Bodies
A Registered Body is an organisation that is registered with DBS to submit applications Standard, Enhanced and Enhanced with Barred List(s) DBS checks, and is entitled by law to ask an individual to reveal their spent and unspent criminal history – also known as asking ‘an exempted question’. Some Registered Bodies carry out DBS checks on behalf of other non-registered organisations and self-employed people/personal employees. These are known as Umbrella Bodies. A list of Umbrella Bodies can be found on the[find an umbrella body GOV.UK page].(https://www.gov.uk/find-dbs-umbrella-body).
Subscribe to DBS updates
If you want to be notified when an update is made to the DBS GOV.UK website, or new content is added, you can subscribe with your email address, here.
Bills and legislation
- The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 sets out in legislation rehabilitation periods, and that individuals do not have to disclose spent convictions unless they are covered in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975 (Exceptions) Order 1975
- The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975 (Exceptions) Order 1975 sets out the exceptions for when an individual can be asked about spent convictions – known as asking ‘an exempted question’
- Part V of the Police Act 1997 sets out the different types of criminal record checks that are available and enables DBS to issue these as DBS checks.
- The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 sets out the scope of regulated activity and operation of the barring element of DBS, which was previously undertaken by the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA)
- Part 5 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 established DBS by amalgamating the services previously provided by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).
Contact us
A list of DBS contact information can be found on the DBS GOV.UK homepage.
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