Guidance

DBS checks in sport – working with children

Updated 1 September 2026

Disclaimer: This is not legal advice. If you need help with making sure you are complying with the law, you should speak to a legal adviser.

1. Introduction

This guidance explains the eligibility of a range of roles across the sports sector based on generic descriptions of the roles and their responsibilities. This applies whether the individuals are paid or unpaid.

If your organisation employs people who do not meet all the conditions outlined here, they may be eligible for a different level of check. You will need to refer to our website to check this out. If your organisation employs people in different roles who perform similar duties to those outlined in the examples here, you should refer to our online guidance as they may be eligible for the same level of check.

Any changes to a role, or the activities that a person carries out, can affect the level of check that is applicable. More information can be found in our eligibility guidance on our website.

This guidance applies to criminal record checks (DBS checks) in England, Wales, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. Information on checks available in Scotland can be obtained from Disclosure Scotland. Information on checks available in Northern Ireland can be obtained from Access NI.

2. Roles in the sports sector

Below are some examples showing how eligibility can be applied to some roles in the sports sector. Legislation sets out what regulated activity with children is and what falls into the definition of ‘work with children’. To see more about what is meant by regulated activity with children, see the regulated activity with children guidance on our website.

3. Regulated activity and meeting the ‘period’ condition

Certain roles in this guidance will only be classed as regulated activity with children if they are carried out often enough to meet the ‘period’ condition. This makes them eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check. The period condition for regulated activity with children is, either:

• on more than 3 days in any period of 30 days, or
• once overnight between 2am and 6am with the opportunity for face-to-face contact with children

4. Coaches

Anyone employed to be a coach or instructor of children’s sports whose duties include teaching, training, or instructing children, or providing advice or guidance wholly or mainly to children relating to their physical, emotional, or educational wellbeing, is eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check.

This is because they are carrying out regulated activity with children if the period condition is met.

If they do these activities more than once but not often enough to meet the period condition, they are eligible for an Enhanced DBS check without a check of the Barred Lists.

5. Referees, umpires and other officials

The role of a football ground steward is named in legislation, so it is automatically eligible for a Standard DBS check, regardless of whether they are dealing with children or adults in receipt of health and social care.

Other sports official roles are not specifically mentioned in legislation as eligible for a DBS check which means that each role must be considered on an individual basis to establish what the person is doing, that could be eligible. This is because an official’s responsibilities can vary between sports and clubs.

If an official’s role includes teaching, training, instructing, caring for, or supervising children, and they do this often enough to meet the period condition, they are carrying out regulated activity with children and are eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check.

For example, a referee for a children’s football team who instructs players on the correct way to undertake a goal kick or throw-in is instructing children and eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check, if they are doing this often enough to meet the period condition. An official who is responsible for supervising children before or after a match, or during training, will also be eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with Children’s Barred List check if the period condition is met.

If they do this more than once, but not often enough to meet the period condition, they are eligible for an Enhanced DBS check without any Barred List check.

If they do not perform any of the activities mentioned above, then they can apply for a Basic DBS check.

6. Drivers

There may be eligibility in some situations for drivers who transport children to and from sports activities or events. If someone drives a vehicle that is being used only for the purpose of driving children, including anyone supervising or caring for the children, to sports activities or other arranged events, they are eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check if they are doing it often enough to meet the period condition.

If they do it more than once but not often enough to meet the period condition, they will be eligible for an Enhanced DBS check without any Barred List check.

This does not apply to individuals who are driving children as part of a private arrangement or an arrangement between parents. The driving must be done on behalf of the sports club and arranged by them. 

7. Pool lifeguards

Pool lifeguards are eligible for DBS checks because their duties mean that they are expected to supervise the users of a pool, which will include children. This is regardless of whether the children are accompanied by an adult. This is based on guidance from the Royal Life Saving Society in collaboration with National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).

Lifeguards are carrying out regulated activity with children when they meet the period condition because they are required to supervise children, and so are eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check. If they perform this role more than once but not often enough to meet the period condition, they will be eligible for an Enhanced DBS check without a Children’s Barred List check.

8. Leisure and sports centre staff

There may be eligibility in some situations for certain leisure or sports centre staff who carry out specific duties or activities.

If a member of staff simply has contact with children due to working in an area where children may be, then there is no eligibility for a Standard or Enhanced DBS check. These would be roles such as administrators, cleaners, and changing room attendants. These staff can be asked to apply for a Basic DBS check.

Roles that meet the following criteria are eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check:

• Any work involving teaching, training, instruction, caring for, or supervising children, if both of the following apply:
  • The work is done for groups that are expected to include children, i.e. it’s not something that is being done for an adult only group where a child unexpectedly attends
  • The period condition is met

This could include roles like children’s swimming instructors, or gymnastics instructors.

Gym staff may also be eligible as above if the gym runs sessions for children and they provide instructions on how to use the equipment.

Staff working in a crèche based within a leisure centre are eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check in the same way as staff working in any nursery or crèche would be. It is not appropriate for all other leisure centre staff to be DBS checked simply because the crèche facility exists within a leisure centre building.

9. Healthcare professionals in sports

There are several roles in the sports sector that provide healthcare, such as physiotherapists, psychotherapists, first aid organisations, and club doctors/nurses, where eligibility exists for these individuals to be asked to apply for a DBS check.

Anyone who is providing healthcare to children and is a regulated healthcare professional is carrying out regulated activity with children. It does not matter how often this healthcare is being provided for the eligibility criteria to be met.

This means that they can be asked to apply for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check.

Any individual who is not a regulated healthcare professional themselves but provides healthcare to children under the direction or supervision of a healthcare professional is also eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check.

Working under the direction of a healthcare professional means the individual will be receiving direct instructions from the healthcare professional about how to treat the client whilst the healthcare is being provided – for example, a phlebotomist who has been directed to take blood samples to conduct medical tests.    

Working under the supervision of a healthcare professional means the individual is in contact with the healthcare professional while they are providing the treatment to the client.

Healthcare provided by first aiders is only regulated activity if it is provided on behalf of an organisation set up for the purpose of providing first aid, for example, St John’s Ambulance.

First aiders who are not working for an organisation set up to provide first aid are not carrying out regulated activity with children if they need to provide first aid to a child and are not eligible for a Standard or Enhanced DBS check unless other elements of their primary role make them eligible.

10. Sports therapists

A sports club that employs someone who is not a registered healthcare professional to provide physical manipulation for children’s teams, or any individual child, can ask that they apply for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check if they meet the period condition. This is because the individual is performing work that is a form of care for children.

If they do this more than once but not often enough to meet the period condition, they are eligible for an Enhanced DBS check without a Barred List check. 

If sports manipulation is being provided by a healthcare professional (for example, a registered physiotherapist), they are carrying out regulated activity with children and are eligible for an Enhanced DBS with a Children’s Barred List check, even if they only do this on one occasion.

11. Running groups

Public or private running groups that include children sometimes appoint a run leader to organise or supervise events held by the group. If there is no organisation providing approval for the individual to perform this role, then they would not be able to apply for a Standard or Enhanced DBS check. The run leader could only apply for a Basic DBS check.

If there is an organisation deciding if the individual is suitable to perform this role, then there may be eligibility depending on what activities the run leader is performing and who they are doing this with.

Run leaders that meet all the following criteria are eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check:

• The run/event is not set up just for adults, i.e. children are expected to attend
• The run leader is responsible for teaching, training, instructing, caring for, or supervising children
• The period condition is met

If they do this more than once but not often enough to meet the period condition, they are eligible for an Enhanced DBS check without a Barred List check. If the above criteria are not met, the run leader can only be asked to apply for a Basic DBS check.

For running groups that are open to both children and adults, more information can be found in the ‘Children in adults’ sports’ section, later in this guidance.

12. Sports academies

In certain circumstances, sports academies such as youth football academies, can be classed as alternative provision academies. This only applies if they are based in England. These are establishments that provide full-time education for students alongside training in a specific sport or skill. Alternative provision academies in England are referred to as a specified establishment for the purposes of DBS checks. This means that individuals working in administrative or ancillary support roles for the academy can be carrying out regulated activity with children because of where they are working.

If a sports academy provides full-time education exclusively, or mainly, to children under instruction of a local authority alongside sports training, then it is a specified establishment for the purposes of carrying out regulated activity with children. This means that anyone working for the purposes of the academy, who also has the chance to have contact with children because of their job there, is carrying out regulated activity with children and is eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check, if the period condition is met. This does not apply to temporary or occasional workers at the academy, or to individuals whose work means they do not have contact with the children in the establishment – for example, someone whose role is to clean the academy outside of school opening hours, when children will not be there.

Cleaners, caterers, and administration staff working in a football youth academy, who have the chance to have contact with children whilst working there, are eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check. This is because they will be carrying out regulated activity with children if the period condition is met, as they are working in a specified establishment.

Any staff that work at the academy on more than one occasion and have contact with the children because of what they do, but do not meet the period condition, are eligible for an Enhanced DBS check without a Barred List check.

13. Overnight stays

For some sports activities, it may be necessary for teams or groups to stay overnight at certain venues or events. Many sports, particularly at high-performance level, provide accommodation where young athletes may stay for various lengths of time (without the provision of education) for training or selection purposes.    

When this is done with children’s teams, the person responsible for supervising the children is doing so overnight with the opportunity for face-to-face contact with them. As there is opportunity for contact between 2am and 6am, the period condition is met even if this supervision happens on just one occasion.

This means that this person is carrying out regulated activity with children and is eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check.

This does not apply to individuals who are staying with children as part of a private arrangement or arrangements between parents. It must be done on behalf of the sports club or activity provider and arranged by them. 

14. Children in adults’ sports

For anyone carrying out the sports roles mentioned already but for open-age sports teams, there may be eligibility to apply for the same level of check that they could get for performing the role just with children. This would apply to a coach for a football team that is open to adults as well as 16- and 17-year-olds. Eligibility here will depend on how likely it is that children would be present at these teams or events.

If it is anticipated that children are likely to join an open-age sports team and there is a good chance of this happening, the person performing any of the roles mentioned would be eligible for the same level of check as previously explained for that role. This is where children have been part of the team during the previous season or have already registered to join the team.

If it is unlikely that children would be a part of these sports teams or events, for example if no children have previously been on a team and none are expected to join, then people in these roles can only be asked to apply for a Basic DBS check. This is because a Standard or Enhanced DBS check cannot be applied for just in case a person ends up doing an eligible type of work.

15. Managers and supervisors

If an individual is employed with duties including the regular day-to-day management or supervision of someone who is carrying out regulated activity with children, then this individual is also in regulated activity with children and is eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check.

For example, if a pool lifeguard is eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check for being in regulated activity with children, then any person that is employed to manage or supervise that lifeguard on a regular day-to-day basis is also eligible for the same level of check.

This only applies to direct management/supervisor positions and does not extend to cover the complete line management chain.

16. Reporting concerns to DBS

When you request an Enhanced with Barred List(s) DBS check to assess someone to carry out regulated activity with children (more information can be found in the regulated activity with children guidance), this means that you are a regulated activity provider (RAP). Being a RAP means that as an organisation you have a legal duty to make barring referrals to DBS where relevant conditions are met. Please see the Barring Referrals guidance for more information.

17. Links

Further information can be found on the DBS website. You may find the following pages useful:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbs-workforce-guidance

DBS Outreach service contacts for organisations wanting support and collaboration: The DBS Regional Outreach

Information about regulated activity with children is also available from the Department for Education (DfE)

Keeping children safe in education - GOV.UK

Information about regulated activity with adults is also available from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)

www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-disclosure-and-barring-services

NHS employers provide a range of sector specific guidance on their website and have an eligibility tool for NHS roles

18. Contacts:

General enquiries: customerservices@dbs.gov.uk

Telephone: 0300 020 0190

Welsh language line: 0300 020 0191

Website: www.gov.uk/dbs