DBS checks are criminal record checks run through the Disclosure and Barring Service, and they’re required for many jobs and volunteering roles in England and Wales. The level of check depends on the role, so a teaching assistant, a taxi driver and a charity shop volunteer won’t all be asked for the same one. Knowing how the four levels differ makes it easier to understand what an organisation is asking for.
The Four Levels of DBS Check
Basic checks show unspent convictions and conditional cautions only, and anyone can apply for one directly. Standard checks add spent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings, subject to filtering rules that remove some older, minor offences. Enhanced checks include everything in a standard check plus any relevant information held by local police. The fourth level adds a search of the children’s barred list, the adults’ barred list or both, and it’s reserved for roles that count as regulated activity, such as teaching or caring for children or adults.
Roles That Need an Enhanced Check
Teachers, nursery staff, nurses, care workers and anyone else who regularly looks after or supervises children or adults who need care will normally be asked for an enhanced check. Taxi and private hire drivers are covered too, because licensing authorities ask for enhanced checks before issuing a licence. People who apply through foster agencies go through an enhanced check, and every other adult in the household is included too, including grown-up children and anyone who regularly stays over.
Who Can Ask for a Check
Organisations request standard and enhanced checks on a person’s behalf through a registered body, so individuals can’t order one for themselves. Since January 2026 there has been one exception, because paid self-employed workers such as tutors, coaches and nannies can now apply for their own enhanced check through an umbrella body when the role is eligible. Eligible checks are free for volunteers. Since 1 September 2026, volunteers who regularly teach, coach or supervise children, or who do so overnight, also need an enhanced check with the children’s barred list, even when someone else is supervising them.
After You Apply
Most enhanced checks for school staff come back within 14 days, although police input can stretch that for some applicants, so it’s worth applying promptly. The DBS fee for an enhanced check fell to £41 on 5 October 2026, and the organisation handling the application may add its own administration charge.
The certificate isn’t a pass or fail result, because it lists what was on record up to the day it was issued, and it carries no official expiry date. Employers decide how often to ask again, and the DBS Update Service lets them check a certificate’s status online with your permission, which can spare you a new application when you change to a similar role.
If you’re asked for a check, find out which level applies and who will process it before you fill anything in. Anyone can request a basic check directly, but for the higher levels the organisation will guide the application, and the original certificate is worth keeping somewhere safe because new organisations will usually want to see it.