Daily DBS
Guide · updated 11 November 2026

Which level of DBS check can a role have?

This guide sets out what the DBS says about deciding which level of DBS check a role can have: who is responsible, what the law covers, and where the DBS's eligibility guides are. It is based on the DBS eligibility guidance collection (last updated 13 October 2026) and two of the DBS eligibility guides published on 1 September 2026. It is not legal advice, and neither is the DBS guidance.

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Who decides the level

  • The DBS says the recruiting organisation is responsible for deciding whether a DBS check is needed and at what level, in line with the legislation, with help from an umbrella body if relevant.
  • It says it is the organisation's duty to make sure the appropriate level of check is applied for.
  • The DBS says an organisation breaks the law if it submits a Standard, Enhanced or Enhanced with Barred List(s) application for a role that is not eligible for that level.

What the law covers

  • The DBS says a Standard check can only be applied for if the role, or the activities in it, are included in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
  • For an Enhanced check, the role or activities must also be covered by the Police Act 1997 or the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) regulations.
  • The DBS says these laws provide eligibility for DBS checks but do not make them mandatory.
  • The DBS says its guidance applies to DBS checks in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It refers to Disclosure Scotland for checks in Scotland and to Access NI for Northern Ireland.

What the DBS says to consider

  • The DBS says the factors include who the role interacts with, where the work takes place, what activities are performed and how often they are performed.
  • It says a comprehensive job description will help with the assessment.
  • It points to three eligibility guides, for roles working with children, roles working with adults, and roles not working specifically with adults or children. All three were published on 1 September 2026.
  • For a role that does not work directly with children or adults, the DBS says to consider whether it could be eligible for an Enhanced check in the “other” workforce. It says far fewer roles are eligible for that type.
  • The DBS says that if the criteria for a Standard or Enhanced check are not met, a Basic check is available to anyone, with no specific eligibility criteria.
  • The DBS also publishes sector-specific guidance leaflets and an eligibility tool, and says the tool is not legal advice and does not cover every role.

Standard checks: roles the DBS lists

The DBS's Standard check guidance lists roles that are eligible for a Standard check. It splits them into three groups.

  • Roles eligible only on entry to a profession. The DBS gives examples including barrister (England and Wales only), solicitor, chartered accountant, veterinary surgeon, actuary and notary public. It says people in these professions are not eligible for a Standard check when they move between employers.
  • Judicial and court-based roles, for example justices' clerks, judges' clerks and court security officers. The DBS says applications for these can be made whenever a suitability decision is being made.
  • Other roles, for example football stewards, anyone applying for a Security Industry Authority licence, roles on the premises of a prison, and certain positions in the financial sector regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority or the Bank of England.
  • The DBS says the roles in its Standard guidance will not ordinarily be eligible for an Enhanced check unless the role also involves activities covered in its children or adults guidance. It notes that some roles in the care and health service entries can be eligible for an Enhanced check.
  • The workforce entered in the “position applied for” field should suit the role: “other workforce” for roles that do not relate specifically to children or vulnerable adults, “child workforce” for children, and “adult workforce” for adults.

Enhanced checks: an example from the DBS's children guidance

  • The DBS says its Enhanced (child workforce) guidance applies whether the role is paid or unpaid.
  • It lists activities that, when done more than once, make a role eligible for an Enhanced check without a barred list check. They include providing legal advice to children, any type of work in a children's hospital where the person has the opportunity for contact with the children being treated, providing treatment or therapy to children, and regulated activity with children that is not done often enough to count as regulated activity (the DBS gives more than 3 days in a 30 day period as the frequency test).
  • One of the DBS's own examples: a volunteer who teaches children to read in a library once a month is eligible for an Enhanced check without a barred list check, because teaching children is regulated activity but not often enough to meet that frequency test.
  • The DBS also lists specific positions, including governors of educational establishments, adoption and fostering panel members, and charity trustees where charity workers regularly carry out regulated activity with children and the charity's main purpose is to do so.
  • The DBS says that if a role is not eligible for an Enhanced check, the next step is to consider whether it is eligible for a Standard check.

If the wrong level has been asked for

The DBS addresses applicants who think the level is wrong.

  • It says to check the DBS eligibility guidance, and discuss it with the employer. It names Unlock and Nacro as charities that can give guidance on how to approach an employer.
  • Before submission, the DBS says to contact its customer services team so they can investigate once the application is received. After submission, to tell the DBS as soon as possible. If the application is still in progress, it may be possible to pause it.
  • The DBS says in some cases it may not be able to confirm eligibility.
  • It says an application can be withdrawn at any time before the certificate is issued, and that fees are not refunded. See also: How to get a DBS check for an employee or volunteer.

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Sources

See also: DBS checks for charities, volunteers and trustees.

Daily DBS is independent of the DBS and UK Government. This guide summarises published guidance. The DBS guidance is the authority. Checked against these sources on 11 November 2026.