DBS-police checks for overseas child roles start 18 Dec
From 18 December 2025, if you run a school or youth programme abroad, you can ask a UK police force to confirm key safeguarding information about a British applicant. New regulations allow chief officers of police in England and Wales to disclose DBS‑supplied information to help overseas employers decide if someone is suitable to work with children, according to legislation.gov.uk.
What changed? Under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, ministers have added a new “prescribed purpose” in section 50A(1)(d). That purpose permits the DBS to share information with a chief officer, and for the chief officer to disclose it to a person outside the UK who is assessing a child‑facing role. In short: DBS to police, then police to the legitimate overseas requester.
This is a narrow, targeted power. It applies in England and Wales, covers roles involving work with children, and only where the hiring decision is made outside the UK. The instrument was made on 25 November 2025, laid before Parliament on 27 November, and comes into force on 18 December 2025, signed by Home Office minister Jess Phillips.
Why this matters for you. International schools, trusts with campuses abroad, sports clubs, and NGOs often interview UK‑trained teachers and youth workers. Until now, confirming UK barred status typically relied on references and local checks. This change creates a route to request confirmation from a UK police force, strengthening safer recruitment across borders.
What can be shared? The regulation allows disclosure of information provided by the DBS, including whether an individual is on the children’s barred list. Being on that list means the person is barred from regulated activity with children under the 2006 Act. Use the result alongside your local vetting, not as the only test.
What this does not do. It does not give overseas employers direct access to the DBS or a full UK certificate, and it does not create a new register. The police will decide what to disclose to meet the safeguarding purpose. The rule also does not cover adult‑only roles; the children’s barred list is the focus.
If you are an overseas employer, plan ahead. Identify your lawful basis to handle any data you receive, keep it secure, and tell the candidate you are seeking a check via a UK police force. Build this into safer recruitment timelines, because enquiries and verification take time. Pair any response with identity checks, references, and your country’s statutory vetting.
If you work in a UK school or trust with overseas campuses, prepare short updates to safer recruitment guidance and staff privacy notices so colleagues understand how an overseas partner might lawfully receive DBS‑related information via a police force. Your data protection officer can help with wording that is clear and proportionate.
Candidates deserve clarity too. Let applicants know what is being requested, why, and how the information will be used. If someone believes a disclosure is inaccurate, they can request details from the disclosing police force and exercise their data protection rights to seek correction. Transparency builds trust while keeping children safe.
Key details at a glance: the regulations extend to England and Wales; they prescribe a purpose for police disclosure to a person outside the UK who is assessing a child‑related role; they were made on 25 November 2025, laid on 27 November, and start on 18 December 2025. The Home Office notes no full impact assessment was produced. Source: legislation.gov.uk.