DBS rule lets police confirm barred status overseas

Here’s the change in plain English. For child‑facing jobs overseas, UK police will be able to tell an overseas employer whether a named candidate is on the DBS children’s barred list. This new legal route sits in The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (Prescribed Purposes) Regulations 2025. It was made on 25 November, laid before Parliament on 27 November, and is due to start on 18 December 2025. The measure applies in England and Wales.

The Regulations do one precise thing: they authorise a chief officer of police to disclose information that DBS has provided to the police, for the specific purpose of helping a person outside the UK decide if someone is suitable to work with children. In practical terms, that includes confirming children’s barred list status so an overseas school or youth organisation can make a safer hiring decision.

A quick refresher so we’re all on the same page. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) runs criminal record checks in England and Wales and maintains two barred lists (children and adults). An Enhanced DBS check can include relevant local police information and, where eligible, a barred list check. But DBS cannot access criminal records held overseas, which is why international recruitment always needs extra checks beyond any UK certificate.

Until now there has been a gap for overseas hiring. Many international schools and NGOs relied on the International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC), issued via ACRO and the National Crime Agency. Helpful as it is, the ICPC does not state whether someone is on the DBS children’s barred list - a limitation highlighted by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). Today’s change is designed to close that gap around barred list information.

Legally, this is slotted into section 50A of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. That section already lets DBS share information with a chief officer of police for set reasons; these Regulations add a new “prescribed purpose” so the police can pass on DBS‑provided information to an overseas decision‑maker considering a child‑facing role. It’s a narrow, targeted power rather than a general opening of UK records.

What this means if you recruit internationally: from 18 December you’ll have a lawful way to ask a UK police force to confirm if an applicant is barred from working with children in England and Wales. This should sit alongside, not replace, your usual pre‑employment checks, including local criminal record or ‘good conduct’ certificates in the country of work.

It’s also important to know what this change doesn’t do. It does not create a direct route for overseas employers to obtain a full Enhanced DBS certificate, and it does not give access to wider UK criminal history. The power is about sharing DBS‑provided information - notably children’s barred list status - for assessing suitability to work with children outside the UK. Adult‑care roles are not covered by this specific regulation.

For UK‑based organisations whose hiring decision happens outside the UK - for example, a trust or charity with global HR - this closes an awkward loophole. Previously, you could only request an Enhanced DBS with barred list check if the decision was taken in England or Wales; otherwise you had to rely on the ICPC and local checks. With the police able to confirm barred status, you can bring that critical piece of safeguarding evidence into overseas decisions.

If you’re a teacher, coach or youth worker applying abroad, you should expect clearer conversations about consent and identity verification when an overseas employer asks for a barred list status check via the police. This is normal safeguarding practice. The police and DBS already work to statutory guidance when deciding what is relevant to disclose for enhanced checks, and we can expect updated practical guidance on overseas requests once the Regulations are in force.

Why this matters for learners and families: IICSA warned that the absence of children’s barred list information in overseas hiring could allow high‑risk individuals to find work with children abroad. Government responses previously argued the ICPC was broadly similar to an Enhanced DBS - but crucially it lacked barred list status. Today’s rule change directly addresses that missing safeguard.

Dates to pin to your noticeboard: made on 25 November 2025, laid on 27 November 2025, and live from 18 December 2025. The instrument was signed by Jess Phillips, the Home Office minister responsible for safeguarding, whose portfolio includes oversight of the Disclosure and Barring Service. We’ll keep watching for any Home Office or DBS guidance on the practical request process.

What to do next. If you recruit for child‑facing roles overseas, update your safer‑recruitment checklist to include a children’s barred list status confirmation via the police from 18 December. Keep using local criminal record checks and robust references. If you’re an applicant, keep your paperwork in order and be ready to consent to checks. The aim here is simple: the same safety net that protects children in England and Wales should travel with them when UK adults work with children abroad.