How DBS supports reducing the risk of harm to children was the focus of a practical and important session delivered by Cathy Taylor, Head of Partnerships at the Disclosure and Barring Service, at the Preventing Child Abuse and Exploitation Conference 2026. Her message was clear: safeguarding is not only about responding when harm has happened, but also about using the right systems, checks, referrals and information-sharing processes to help prevent further harm.
The session explored how DBS supports employers, voluntary organisations, education providers, care settings and other regulated activity providers to make safer recruitment and employment decisions. It also highlighted the vital role organisations and individuals play in alerting DBS when someone may pose a risk to children or vulnerable groups.
The full session is now available On Demand as part of the Preventing Child Abuse and Exploitation Conference 2026.
Understanding the Role of the Disclosure and Barring Service
The Disclosure and Barring Service exists to help protect the public. In practice, this means supporting organisations to make informed recruitment decisions and barring individuals who pose a risk to vulnerable people from working or volunteering in regulated activity.
Cathy Taylor explained that when DBS refers to “employers”, this includes a broad range of organisations. Schools, charities, voluntary groups, healthcare settings, sports clubs, care providers and agencies may all have people working with children or vulnerable adults. The responsibility to recruit safely applies across many sectors, not only traditional employment settings.
DBS operates disclosure functions, including DBS checks and certificate information, for England, Wales, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It also operates barring functions for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has its own disclosure and barring arrangements through Disclosure Scotland, but barring information is shared across UK jurisdictions.
How DBS Checks Support Safer Recruitment
One of the core ways DBS helps reduce safeguarding risk is through different levels of DBS checks. Cathy outlined four main levels, each linked to the nature of the role and the legal eligibility criteria.
Basic DBS Check
A basic DBS check shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions. Anyone can apply for one, and there is no specific role-based eligibility requirement.
Standard DBS Check
A standard DBS check may show spent and unspent convictions and cautions, subject to filtering rules. Eligibility is set out in legislation and generally applies to roles such as certain legal, judicial and healthcare-related positions.
Enhanced DBS Check
An enhanced DBS check includes the same type of information as a standard check, but may also include relevant police intelligence. This information can be disclosed where a chief police officer considers it relevant to the role and necessary in the interests of public safety.
Enhanced DBS Check with Barred List Information
This level is usually linked to regulated activity with children or adults. In addition to enhanced check information, it can show whether someone is included on the children’s barred list, the adults’ barred list, or both, depending on the workforce involved.
How DBS Supports Reducing the Risk of Harm to Children Through Barred Lists
A key part of how DBS supports reducing the risk of harm to children is through its barred lists. DBS holds two barred lists: one for children and one for adults. Individuals on these lists are legally prevented from working, volunteering or undertaking work experience in regulated activity with the group they are barred from working with.
Cathy emphasised that this is not simply an administrative process. Being barred has serious legal consequences. It is a criminal offence for a barred person to seek, offer or carry out regulated activity with the relevant group. It is also a criminal offence for an organisation to knowingly allow someone who is barred to engage in regulated activity.
This is why organisations must understand both DBS check eligibility and their wider safeguarding duties. A check is not a substitute for safer recruitment, but it is an essential part of a robust recruitment and safeguarding framework.
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When Organisations Must Refer Someone to DBS
Another major theme of the session was the legal duty to refer. Some organisations are legally required to make a referral to DBS when specific conditions are met.
This duty applies to regulated activity providers and personnel suppliers. A regulated activity provider is an organisation that has people working or volunteering in regulated activity. A personnel supplier may include, for example, an agency supplying staff to carry out regulated activity or an education provider arranging work placements.
The legal duty to refer can arise when someone has been removed from regulated activity because they have engaged in relevant conduct, harmed a child or vulnerable adult, or placed them at risk of harm. Cathy gave examples such as child sexual abuse, possession of sexual images of children, wider abuse, exploitation, and situations that satisfy the harm test.
Importantly, making a report to another body, such as the police or a local safeguarding authority, does not remove the duty to refer to DBS. Cathy also explained that failure to refer without reasonable justification can be an offence.
Can Referrals Be Made When There Is No Legal Duty?
Yes. Cathy made clear that DBS has a legal responsibility to consider every referral it receives, even where the legal duty to refer does not apply.
However, organisations should think carefully before making a discretionary referral. They should consider whether the individual is currently working in regulated activity, has previously worked in regulated activity, or may return to such work in future. They should also consider whether the concern meets the threshold for relevant conduct or the harm test.
One important point from the session was that DBS makes barring decisions on the balance of probabilities. This means DBS may still consider a case even if the police do not take further action or a person is found not guilty in court. The question for DBS is whether, based on the information available, the individual poses a risk of future harm in regulated activity.
Why Harm Outside the Workplace Still Matters
Cathy also addressed a crucial safeguarding issue: harmful behaviour does not always happen in the workplace. It may occur in the home, in a voluntary setting, or in another part of a person’s life. From a barring perspective, DBS considers whether that behaviour indicates a risk to others, including children and vulnerable adults.
Examples discussed included domestic abuse, abuse or neglect of a person’s own children, and other behaviours showing a propensity to harm. The key question is whether that risk could transfer into a regulated activity setting. For example, if someone uses violence to gain control in one context, DBS may consider whether that behaviour could present a risk in a role involving responsibility for children.
How DBS Makes Barring Decisions
The barring decision-making process typically involves several stages. DBS first considers whether the case meets the test for regulated activity. It then reviews the information provided, and where needed, may request information from other agencies such as police or social care.
DBS does not carry out investigations in the way police or safeguarding bodies do, so the quality and completeness of information submitted by organisations is extremely important. Once information is reviewed, DBS considers whether harm has occurred on the balance of probabilities and whether the person presents a future risk.
If DBS is minded to bar someone, that individual is given an opportunity to make representations. Cathy described this as an important part of ensuring decisions are fair, consistent and thorough.
Practical Takeaways for Organisations
Cathy’s session offered several practical reminders for organisations working with children:
- Understand which level of DBS check is appropriate for each role.
- Do not treat DBS checks as a standalone safeguarding measure.
- Know whether your organisation is a regulated activity provider or personnel supplier.
- Recognise when the legal duty to refer applies.
- Consider whether harmful behaviour outside work may indicate transferable risk.
- Provide DBS with clear, relevant and complete information when making referrals.
- Contact DBS for guidance if you are unsure about checks, eligibility or referrals.
How DBS Supports Reducing the Risk of Harm to Children
How DBS supports reducing the risk of harm to children comes down to prevention, information-sharing and responsible decision-making. Cathy Taylor’s session showed that DBS is not only a checking service; it is a vital part of the safeguarding system, helping organisations identify risk, make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable individuals from entering or remaining in regulated activity.
For any organisation working with children, the message is clear: understand your responsibilities, use DBS checks appropriately, make referrals when required, and seek advice when you are unsure. These steps help create safer environments where children are better protected from abuse and exploitation.
For more information about how DBS Regional Outreach can support you please see The DBS Regional Outreach Service – and be sure to follow DBS on LinkedIn.
Don’t forget to check out the Tackling Misogyny Conference this November, where you can hear expert-led discussions and keynotes on one of the most urgent issues facing young people.