What Is a DBS Check? Basic, Standard, Enhanced and Barred List Checks Explained

TL;DR: A DBS check is an official background check issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Home Office. There are four levels — basic, standard, enhanced, and enhanced with barred list — each revealing progressively more information about a person's criminal record history. Charities working with children or adults at risk are typically required to carry out enhanced checks, and often barred list checks, for roles that involve regulated activity. Enhanced DBS checks are free for volunteers.

What the Disclosure and Barring Service Does

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) was created in 2012, merging the functions of the Criminal Records Bureau and the Independent Safeguarding Authority. It serves two distinct functions: processing applications for criminal record certificates, and maintaining the Children's Barred List and the Adults' Barred List — records of individuals who are prohibited from working in regulated activity with children or adults at risk respectively.

The DBS issues several million criminal record certificates every year across all check types — a figure that reflects how routinely DBS checks are embedded in hiring and volunteering processes across England, Wales, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man (Disclosure and Barring Service, GOV.UK).

Note: Both the Children's Barred List and the Adults' Barred List are maintained on an ongoing basis, with the DBS adding people to — and removing people from — the lists throughout the year as individual barring decisions are made.

The Four Levels of DBS Check

Basic DBS Check

A basic check shows only unspent convictions and conditional cautions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Any individual can apply for their own basic check, and employers can request one for any role — there is no eligibility requirement tied to the nature of the work. The fee from 2 December 2024 is £21.50 (GOV.UK, DBS fees changing in December).

Standard DBS Check

A standard check reveals both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and final warnings held on the Police National Computer, subject to filtering rules. It is available only for roles that are specifically eligible — broadly those covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. The fee is also £21.50. Standard checks are most commonly used for roles such as solicitors, accountants, and some financial services positions.

Enhanced DBS Check

An enhanced check includes everything in a standard check, plus any locally held police intelligence that the chief officer of each relevant police force considers relevant to the role being applied for. It is available only for roles that meet the eligibility criteria — primarily those involving children or adults at risk, as well as certain regulated professions. The fee from December 2024 is £49.50 (GOV.UK, DBS fees changing in December).

Enhanced checks are the level most commonly required by charities working directly with beneficiaries who are children or adults at risk.

Enhanced DBS Check with Barred List(s)

An enhanced check with a barred list check goes one step further: as well as the certificate content described above, it confirms whether the applicant is on the Children's Barred List, the Adults' Barred List, or both. This level of check is reserved for roles involving regulated activity — a defined legal concept covering unsupervised work with children or adults in specific settings or carrying out certain activities. It is a criminal offence for a barred person to apply for or carry out regulated activity, and for a knowingly non-compliant organisation to engage them. The cost is the same as a standard enhanced check: £49.50 for the DBS component.

Charities delivering services such as residential care, therapeutic support, or education to children or adults at risk will typically need enhanced checks with barred list checks for frontline roles.

DBS Checks for Charities and Volunteers

Which Roles Need a Check?

Not every role in a charity requires a DBS check, and applying for an ineligible check is an offence. Eligibility depends on what the person will actually do, not their job title. Regulated activity with children includes activities such as teaching, supervising, advising, caring for, or driving children on a regular basis without supervision. Regulated activity with adults covers personal care, health care, social work, and certain financial roles carried out in specific settings.

The NCVO's DBS guidance and the GOV.UK eligibility guidance both provide detailed criteria. Where roles sit close to the eligibility boundary, legal advice is recommended.

From 1 September 2026, the exemption that previously allowed supervised volunteers to be excluded from regulated activity with children is being removed. Charities should review supervised children's roles against the updated definition ahead of that date, as more of them will require an enhanced check with barred list information (GOV.UK, Regulated activity: removal of the supervision exemption).

DBS Checks Are Free for Volunteers

Volunteers who are carrying out unpaid work for a charity or other not-for-profit organisation can obtain standard and enhanced DBS checks at no cost from the DBS itself. The umbrella body or Registered Body processing the application may charge an administration fee, but the DBS certificate fee is waived (GOV.UK, Disclosure application process for volunteers). Basic checks are not available free of charge to volunteers — the £21.50 fee applies.

This exemption reflects the importance of enabling charities to screen volunteer roles involving vulnerable people without that cost being a barrier to safe recruitment.

Duty to Refer

If a charity removes a member of staff or volunteer from a regulated activity role — or they leave while under investigation — because they have harmed, or pose a risk of harm to, a child or vulnerable adult, the charity has a legal duty to refer the case to the DBS. Failure to refer where required is itself an offence. The DBS then assesses whether to add the individual to the relevant barred list.

Plinth's Volunteering feature can help charities maintain a clear record of volunteer roles, DBS status, and renewal dates — making it easier to track compliance across the organisation.

Note: The DBS fees that came into effect on 2 December 2024 represent increases from £18 to £21.50 (basic and standard) and from £38 to £49.50 (enhanced) — the first fee increase since the fee schedule was last revised in October 2019. DBS checks for volunteers remain free (GOV.UK, DBS fees changing in December).

The DBS Update Service

The DBS Update Service is an annual subscription that allows individuals to keep their DBS certificate current and enables employers or volunteer coordinators to check whether any new information has been added since the certificate was issued. From 2 December 2024, the annual subscription fee is £16 (increased from £13), though subscriptions remain free for volunteers, in line with the fee waiver on their underlying standard or enhanced check (GOV.UK, DBS Update Service).

An individual must join the Update Service within 30 days of the date of issue printed on their certificate. Once subscribed, an employer or organisation can carry out an instant online status check at no cost, avoiding the need for a new full application each time a person takes on a new role with a different organisation — as long as the check type and workforce type match. From 8 December 2024, subscribers are also emailed 30 days before their renewal date as a prompt to confirm whether they wish to stay subscribed.

For charities with high volunteer turnover or multiple sites, the Update Service can reduce both administrative burden and repeat certification costs. It is particularly useful for organisations where volunteers may shift between roles or move between partner charities.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a DBS check take?

Processing times vary. GOV.UK guidance indicates that standard and enhanced checks usually take around 14 days, though enhanced checks can take longer if a police force needs to consider additional local information — and turnaround has been running longer than this for some police forces in recent years. DBS no longer publishes a live monthly performance dataset, but applicants and organisations can check the status of an individual application online. Expedited routes may be available in urgent cases through umbrella bodies.

Does a DBS check expire?

DBS certificates do not carry a formal expiry date. However, the information on them is only accurate as of the date of issue. Most organisations set their own renewal intervals — commonly every three years for staff and volunteers in regulated activity — and the DBS Update Service provides a way to check for changes between renewals.

Can a person be refused a role because of something on their DBS certificate?

Yes, though this must be assessed carefully and proportionately. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 provides some protection for spent convictions in certain contexts. For enhanced check roles, employers and charities are expected to make a considered judgement about relevance and risk. Applicants have the right to dispute the contents of a certificate if they believe information is inaccurate or should have been filtered.

Recommended Next Pages

• What Is Safeguarding?
• What Is Volunteer Management?
• What Is GDPR for Charities?

Published by the Plinth Team. Last updated 12 July 2026.