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How the Disclosure and Barring Service Helps Protect You

Summary

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) plays a vital role in protecting children, vulnerable adults, and the wider public by enabling employers to make safer recruitment decisions.

This guide breaks down what the DBS does, the different types of checks available, how they contribute to safeguarding, and why every UK organisation should understand and use DBS checks as part of a robust background screening strategy.

Introduction

In today’s world, safety and trust are more important than ever. Whether you're applying for a new job, hiring staff, or volunteering with vulnerable groups, understanding how the UK’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) works is crucial.

The DBS helps employers make safer hiring decisions by providing background checks that reveal relevant criminal records, safeguarding concerns, or information from local police. This process ensures that unsuitable individuals are prevented from working in positions of trust — particularly with children or vulnerable adults.

What Is the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)?

The Disclosure and Barring Service is a government body that helps organisations in England, Wales, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man make safer recruitment decisions. It does this by processing criminal record checks and maintaining the barred lists databases of individuals prohibited from working with children or vulnerable adults.

Formed in 2012 by merging the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), the DBS aims to simplify and strengthen safeguarding procedures.

Why DBS Checks Matter

A DBS check can help you:

  • Prevent unsuitable individuals from working with vulnerable groups

  • Comply with legal obligations in regulated sectors

  • Protect your organisation’s reputation and reduce risk

  • Build trust among employees, clients, and the public

  • Detect relevant criminal behaviour or safeguarding concerns before hiring

Whether you’re in healthcare, education, social work, finance, or volunteer services, DBS checks are a vital part of any responsible recruitment process.

Types of DBS Checks

There are four types of DBS checks depending on the level of responsibility and risk involved in a role:

1. Basic DBS Check

  • Shows unspent convictions only

  • Available to any individual or employer

  • Often used for roles without direct contact with vulnerable groups

2. Standard DBS Check

  • Shows spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and warnings

  • Suitable for roles of trust (e.g., legal, financial, security roles)

3. Enhanced DBS Check

  • Shows everything in a Standard check plus any relevant information held by local police forces

  • Required for roles involving direct contact with vulnerable people (e.g., healthcare, teaching, social work)

4. Enhanced DBS Check with Barred List Check

  • Includes all the above, plus a check against the children’s and/or adult’s barred list

  • Mandatory for regulated activity roles (e.g., working in schools or care homes)

Who Needs a DBS Check?

DBS checks are required or recommended in many roles, including:

  • Teachers and school staff

  • Healthcare professionals

  • Social workers

  • Foster carers and adoptive parents

  • Taxi drivers (via local authorities)

  • Financial services employees

  • Volunteers working with children or vulnerable adults

  • Contractors and freelancers in sensitive environments

Not all roles require the same level of check, so it’s important to assess the level of contact with vulnerable people and choose the appropriate DBS level.

DBS and Safeguarding in the Workplace

DBS checks are central to risk management and safeguarding policies in regulated sectors.

Employers have a legal duty to request barred list checks for any roles that involve regulated activity. Failing to do so can result in legal penalties or worse, harm to vulnerable individuals.

Conducting appropriate checks can:

  • Reduce the risk of abuse, exploitation, or financial misconduct

  • Protect service users, clients, and your workforce

  • Provide documented proof of due diligence during audits or investigations

How the DBS Check Process Works

  1. Application Initiation: Employer or applicant completes a DBS form

  2. Verification: ID documents are checked and submitted

  3. Processing: DBS checks police records, databases, and/or the barred lists

  4. Certificate Issued: Results are returned via a certificate to the applicant (and employer if requested)

Turnaround times can vary, but digital services have made the process faster and more secure than ever.

Online DBS Checks: Faster and Easier

Digital DBS checks streamline the process with benefits like:

  • Faster turnaround times

  • Secure identity verification

  • Real-time tracking

  • Reduced admin costs

  • Convenience for remote or high-volume hiring

For example, Eurocom CI offers fully digital DBS checks with dedicated support and compliance guidance.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Employers in the UK have strict legal duties under:

  • The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006

  • The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

  • The Data Protection Act 2018

  • Sector-specific guidelines (e.g., Ofsted, NHS, FCA, CQC)

Using DBS checks helps you stay compliant while showing regulators and stakeholders that you prioritise safety and trust.

DBS Checks and the Barred Lists

The barred lists maintained by the DBS include individuals who are legally prohibited from working with:

  • Children (Children’s Barred List)

  • Vulnerable adults (Adults’ Barred List)

Employers conducting regulated activity must check these lists. Hiring someone listed is a criminal offence, even unknowingly.

What Can and Can’t Be Disclosed

Can Be Disclosed:

  • Criminal convictions (spent and unspent, depending on check level)

  • Police cautions, reprimands, and warnings

  • Local police information (Enhanced only)

  • Barred list status (Enhanced with barred list check only)

Cannot Be Disclosed:

  • Minor, filtered convictions (e.g., youth cautions after a certain time)

  • Allegations not substantiated by evidence (unless relevant in Enhanced checks)

Limitations and Considerations

  • A clear DBS check does not guarantee someone is safe it only confirms no known records

  • Checks must be kept up to date (using the DBS Update Service is recommended)

  • Candidates must consent to DBS checks

  • Employers must handle DBS data with confidentiality and care

Final Thoughts: Why Employers Should Prioritise DBS Checks

Using DBS checks is about more than compliance, it's about building a safer, more responsible workplace culture. Employers who invest in robust background screening:

  • Hire more trustworthy, qualified staff

  • Reduce incidents and turnover

  • Protect brand reputation

  • Fulfil safeguarding duties under UK law

In regulated sectors, skipping checks isn't just risky, it’s illegal.

How Online DBS Checks Can Help

As a trusted screening provider, we help organisations across the UK manage DBS checks with speed, accuracy, and expert guidance.

Whether you're onboarding new staff or reviewing compliance protocols, our team ensures you meet your safeguarding obligations with ease.

Ready to streamline your DBS process? Get started today.

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