Disclosure Barring Service
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is marking 10 years of protecting the most vulnerable by helping employers make safer recruitment decisions.
DBS is responsible for processing and issuing criminal record checks, along with maintaining the Adults and Childrens Barred Lists records of people not permitted to work in regulated activity with vulnerable groups, including children.
Since December 2012, more than 52 million DBS Basic, Standard and Enhanced checks have been processed, and during that period more than 41,000 individuals have been placed on one or both Barred Lists.
DBS was established on 1 December 2012 through the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, when the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) merged.
Prior to the merger, the ISA had been introduced following recommendations from the Bichard Inquiry commissioned following the murder of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham in 2002.
Within the DBS first 4 months of operating, 1.2 million DBS certificates were issued. Further milestones achieved along the DBS 10-year journey so far include:
- June 2013 DBS Update Service launched
- October 2017 Quality Assurance Framework launched
- December 2017 Basic DBS checks launched
- 2018 Nationwide DBS roadshows, showcasing safeguarding services
- January 2018 DBS Basic Digital Service goes live on GOV.UK
- December 2018 Dr Gillian Fairfield appointed as DBS Chairman
- February 2019 First annual Quality Account published
- April 2019 Welsh application route for Basic DBS checks goes live
- July 2019 Eric Robinson appointed as DBS Chief Executive
- 2020 & 2021 DBS contributed to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) hearings
- March 2020 First DBS Conference takes place
- March 2020 Free-of-charge fast-track COVID-19 checks introduced
- April 2020 DBS 2020-25 strategy launched
- November 2020 New filtering rules go live for Standard, Enhanced, and Enhanced with Barred List(s) DBS checks, to ensure only certain convictions are shown
- February 2021 Regional Outreach service is launched to support external partners and organisations
- November 2021 Safeguarding and Quality charter launched
- April 2022 Fees for DBS checks are reduced further to benefit customers
- December 2022 Celebrating ten years of DBS
Eric Robinson, Chief Executive of the Disclosure and Barring Service, said:
I am immensely proud of the legacy and accomplishments DBS has achieved over the course of 10 years, faithfully serving the public in providing the highest quality safeguarding service that robustly protects vulnerable groups, including children.
As we reach our anniversary, I would like to thank our staff for their contributions to making recruitment safer nationwide. We look forward to maintaining and building upon those high standards, providing safeguarding excellence, and achieving new