Training and resources

Safer recruitment and employment – Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) was established under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and merges the functions previously carried out by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions 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. The DBS is responsible for the following processes:

Disclosure – the DBS searches police records and, in relevant cases, barred list information, and then issues a DBS certificate to the applicant. The certificate belongs to the individual and it is for them to share with their employer to support with making an informed recruitment decision.

Referrals – Referrals are made to the DBS when an employer or an organisation, for example, a regulatory body, has concerns that a person has caused harm or poses a future risk of harm to vulnerable groups including children. Regulated activity providers (employers or voluntary 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 conditions are met. There could be times when you consider that you should make a referral in the interests of safeguarding children or vulnerable adults even if the legal duty to refer has not been met; this should be done in consideration of relevant employment and data protection laws. More information about barring referrals is available at Making barring referrals to DBS.

Barring – the DBS makes its decisions using barring decision-making processes specifically developed for this use and approved by the DBS Board. The barring decision-making processes have been developed to ensure all DBS decisions are fair, consistent and thorough.

You can access guidance for the DBS referral and decision making process here DBS referrals guide: referral and decision-making process – GOV.UK

Types of check you can request:

  • A basic check, which shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions
  • A standard check, which shows spent and unspent convictions, and cautions (subject to filtering)
  • An enhanced check, which shows the same as a standard check plus non-conviction information supplied by relevant police forces, if it is deemed relevant and ought to be contained in the certificate.
  • An enhanced check with barred list(s), which shows the same as an enhanced check plus whether the applicant is on the Children’s Barred List, Adults’ Barred List or potentially both.

To assist in determining which level of check a role is eligible for there is guidance available on the DBS website at: DBS eligibility guidance along with guidance for employers.


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