DBS checks for London pedicabs, DWP clinicians from Jan

Here’s the news you can use and teach: enhanced DBS checks will now cover two new areas - London pedicab licences and certain health professionals working for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The Home Office signed the rules on 25 November 2025 and they take effect on 21 January 2026.

This change arrives via a Statutory Instrument: the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/1240). According to legislation.gov.uk, it adds these roles to the list of ‘prescribed purposes’ for which someone can apply for an enhanced criminal record certificate in England and Wales.

Pedicabs first. The instrument links DBS checks to the new licensing system created by the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024. When licensing regulations under that Act are used, applying for or holding a pedicab driver licence can involve an enhanced check to help decide if someone is suitable to be licensed.

The explanatory note makes this clear: pedicab licence holders are eligible for enhanced certificates that include checks of both the children’s and adults’ barred lists. That is the most searching safeguarding check available under the DBS framework, used when roles bring the public - including children and adults at risk - into close contact.

Now the DWP workforce. The rules cover ‘registered health care professionals’ working for the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, or for contractors and sub‑contractors carrying out DWP activities. The definition is imported from section 39(1) of the Social Security Act 1998; in practice, that captures registered clinicians such as doctors or nurses engaged in social security assessments.

Two things follow for these clinicians. First, you are within scope for an enhanced certificate to help an employer decide on suitability. Second, where your duties include assessing children or vulnerable adults, the enhanced check can include the relevant barred lists so decision‑makers see information needed for safeguarding.

A quick refresher for students and new staff. A basic DBS shows unspent convictions. A standard DBS includes spent and unspent convictions and cautions relevant to the role. An enhanced DBS goes further, adding locally held police information and, where the role is eligible, checks of the barred lists. This instrument is about that enhanced level.

The barred lists are maintained by the Disclosure and Barring Service: one list for work with children and one for work with adults at risk. Being on a list is a legal bar to working in those regulated activities. The new rules ensure pedicab licensing decisions and relevant DWP clinical roles can include those checks where appropriate.

What this means if you want a pedicab licence in London: expect to be asked for an enhanced DBS as part of licensing once the system is live. You keep the normal safeguards - identity checks, the right to see your own certificate, and filtering that removes some old or minor convictions - but you should plan time for the application.

What this means if you are a DWP health care professional or work for a contractor: if your duties include assessing children or vulnerable adults, expect an enhanced check with the barred lists. For other DWP clinical roles, you are now within scope for an enhanced certificate to help employers make a balanced suitability decision.

Scope and timing matter. These regulations extend to England and Wales and start on 21 January 2026. Pedicab licensing is London‑specific. Scotland and Northern Ireland use different vetting systems (PVG in Scotland and AccessNI in Northern Ireland), so colleagues there will follow different rules.

If you teach law or civic literacy, this is a clean example of how SIs amend existing rules. Read the opening lines: ‘made’ on 25 November, ‘laid before Parliament’ on 27 November, and ‘coming into force’ on 21 January. Check ‘interpretation’ for definitions - here it imports ‘registered health care professional’ from the Social Security Act 1998. Then notice where text is inserted into earlier regulations to widen eligibility.

Safeguarding and fairness should move together. An enhanced check does not automatically disqualify someone; it gives decision‑makers more context. Filtering rules still apply, applicants can explain relevance, and employers must judge proportionately against the role’s risks and responsibilities.

The instrument is signed by Jess Phillips, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office. The explanatory note on legislation.gov.uk says no full impact assessment was produced because no significant costs are expected. As 21 January 2026 nears, look out for practical guidance from licensing bodies and employers on process and timelines.