DBS checks: which level do I need and how do I request one?

What a DBS check is

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is the UK government body that runs criminal-record checks for employers and licensing authorities in England and Wales. A DBS check is the formal disclosure of an individual's criminal-record information from one or more authoritative sources — including the Police National Computer, local police records, and (for higher-level checks) barred-list data.

Scotland uses a different system — Disclosure Scotland. Northern Ireland uses AccessNI. The processes are similar but the agencies, fees, and applications are separate.

The four levels — set by law, not preference

There are four levels of DBS check available in England and Wales. The level you can request is determined by the role, not by employer preference.

Basic

What it shows: Unspent convictions only.

Who can request: Anyone, including the individual themselves. No eligibility test.

Cost: £18 (2024–25)

Use cases: General employment where a higher level isn't legally justified — administrative roles, customer service, retail.

Standard

What it shows: Spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and final warnings (within the filtering rules).

Who can request: Employers offering positions on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order. This includes solicitors, accountants, chartered surveyors, and security industry roles.

Cost: £21.50 (2024–25)

Use cases: Regulated professional roles where past offences are relevant but the role doesn't involve children or vulnerable adults.

Enhanced

What it shows: Same as Standard, plus any "non-conviction information" the police consider relevant — investigations, allegations, or intelligence that didn't result in conviction.

Who can request: Employers offering positions involving regular contact with children or vulnerable adults, where the role qualifies under the Police Act 1997.

Cost: £49.50 (2024–25)

Use cases: Teachers, healthcare workers, social workers, taxi drivers, foster carers, court officials.

Enhanced with Barred Lists

What it shows: Enhanced check plus a check against the children's barred list and/or adults' barred list.

Who can request: Employers offering positions in regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults, as defined by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

Cost: £49.50 (2024–25, same as Enhanced)

Use cases: Anyone working unsupervised with children or vulnerable adults — care workers, paediatric nurses, school staff.

Eligibility — getting it right

The eligibility test is legal, not optional. Asking for a higher level than the role qualifies for is itself unlawful — it can attract its own penalties and invalidate the check.

The DBS publishes detailed guidance on eligibility for each level. The most reliable test:

1. Identify the role's regulated activity status — does it involve regulated activity with children, with adults, or neither?
2. Check the legislative basis — Police Act 1997 (for Standard / Enhanced), Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (for barred-list inclusion)
3. Verify against DBS's eligibility tool before submitting

If you're unsure, contact the DBS directly. Wrong-level applications are rejected and the fee is forfeited.

How long checks take

• Basic — usually within 14 days for clean records, longer for any flagged information
• Standard — typically 1–4 weeks
• Enhanced — typically 2–8 weeks, occasionally longer if police forces need to provide additional information

Delays in Enhanced checks are usually at the police-force end, where local intelligence is reviewed. The DBS publishes monthly performance figures showing average turnaround by police force.

For roles where someone needs to start work quickly, employers often:

1. Apply for the check before the start date (or at offer stage)
2. Accept a Basic check temporarily and upgrade later
3. Restrict duties pending the check — for regulated activity, the worker cannot start unsupervised work until the check is complete

Renewal and the Update Service

DBS certificates have no formal expiry. The certificate is a snapshot of records on the issue date.

Most employers re-check every three years as a general practice. Some sectors require shorter cycles (every 12 months in some healthcare roles).

The DBS Update Service is an annual subscription (£16, free for volunteers) that lets the certificate holder give employers ongoing access to changes in real time. Standard and Enhanced checks can be linked to the Update Service.

Benefits:

• Avoids re-applying for new checks
• Allows immediate verification when joining a new employer
• Tracks any updates to the underlying records

Most employers prefer the Update Service for reasons of speed and cost — particularly for staff who change roles or work across multiple employers (locums, supply teachers).

Filtering — what doesn't show up

Some old or minor offences are filtered out of Standard and Enhanced checks under the filtering rules introduced in 2013 and reformed in 2020:

• Adult cautions for non-listed offences are filtered after 6 years
• Single adult convictions for non-listed offences (excluding violent or sexual) are filtered after 11 years
• Youth cautions / convictions filter after a shorter period

"Listed offences" — including violent crime, sexual offences, supplying drugs, and offences specific to safeguarding — are never filtered. They appear regardless of age.

Basic checks show only unspent convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, so most older offences are already invisible at that level.

What to do with a positive disclosure

A positive disclosure (any record showing on the certificate) is not automatic grounds for refusing employment. The employer should:

1. Discuss the disclosure with the candidate before making any decision
2. Apply the principles of fairness and relevance — does the offence relate to the role?
3. Consider time elapsed since the offence
4. Consider mitigating factors — pattern of behaviour, recent record
5. Document the decision — both the disclosure and the reasoning

Refusing employment based on irrelevant or filtered information can be discriminatory. The DBS publishes a Code of Practice that registered users must follow.

Common mistakes

Asking for the wrong level

Asking for an Enhanced check on a role that's only eligible for Standard, or asking for any check on a role that's not eligible at all. The application will be rejected and the fee forfeited.

Treating "no conviction" as "no risk"

A clean DBS check shows no convictions and no police intelligence. It does not vouch for the person's future conduct. DBS is one safeguarding tool, not the only one.

Forgetting to renew

Many employers do an Enhanced check on hire and never re-check. For long-serving staff in safeguarding roles, this is a meaningful gap. Set renewal cycles in your HR system.

Ignoring the Update Service

For staff who'd benefit from continuous monitoring (or who join from another employer), the Update Service is cheaper, faster, and more current than periodic re-checks.

Putting it into practice

A clean DBS process:

1. Determines the correct level for each role using the DBS eligibility tool
2. Captures the application at the offer stage
3. Tracks the application status and likely turnaround
4. Records the certificate on the employee file
5. Subscribes to the Update Service where appropriate
6. Sets a renewal cycle for the certificate
7. Documents any positive disclosure decisions with reasoning

DBS is one of the most regulated and audited parts of UK HR. Document everything, check eligibility before applying, and renew on schedule.