Enhanced DBS with Barred List (2026): Regulated Activity, Workforce, and When You’re Allowed to Request It

Contents

1. What an Enhanced DBS with barred list actually checks
2. The golden rule: you must be legally eligible
3. Regulated activity with children (key triggers + supervision)
4. Regulated activity with adults (different to children)
5. Workforce selection: Child vs Adult vs Other
6. Starting work while waiting: separate children’s barred list checks (education)
7. Common eligibility mistakes (and how to avoid them)
8. Quick decision guide + FAQs

1) What is an “Enhanced DBS with barred list” check?

An Enhanced DBS check can include:

• spent and unspent convictions/cautions (subject to rules),
• plus, relevant police information (where applicable),
• and optionally a check of one or both barred lists (children’s and/or adults’) only where the role is eligible.

Think of “Enhanced + barred list” as Enhanced DBS, plus confirmation of whether the person is barred from doing regulated activity with the relevant group(s).

Cost note (useful for budgeting): The fee remains the same for Enhanced with barred lists vs Enhanced).

2) The golden rule: you can only request it when you’re allowed to

In England & Wales,you can’t just choose “Enhanced with barred list” because it feels safer. The role must be eligible in law—usually because it meets the definition of regulated activity or falls into a small set of other eligible roles.

The most reliable way to sense-check eligibility is:

• Use the GOV.UK tool: “Find out which DBS check is right for your employee”
• Our free eligibility assessment tool
• Then confirm using DBS guidance, especially the workforce guidance (updated 20 January 2026).

Practical takeaway: If the role isn’t eligible, you should not request barred list information. Instead, step down to the correct check level (or use other safer recruitment controls).

3) Regulated activity with children: what triggers eligibility?

DBS’s own leaflet on regulated activity with children is the best plain-English starting point.

A) Activities that commonly trigger children’s regulated activity

The legal definition is detailed, but in real hiring situations, the most common triggers are roles that involve unsupervised:

• teaching, training, instructing, caring for or supervising children
• providing advice/guidance on children’s wellbeing
• driving a vehicle only for children

B) Frequency matters (children)

For some child-related activities, frequency thresholds matter (often described as “more than 3 days in any 30-day period” in government guidance notes). That’s why two roles that look similar on paper can have different eligibility:

• A sports coach in a school once a term might not be doing regulated activity (but could still be eligible for Enhanced without barred list, depending on the scenario).
• A coach weekly and unsupervised is much more likely to meet the regulated activity threshold.

C) Supervision can change eligibility (children)

For children’s regulated activity, supervision is a major “gotcha”. Government guidance notes explain that supervised volunteers in specified places can fall outside regulated activity in some circumstances (where supervision meets the legal definition). What to do in practice: If your eligibility hinges on supervision, document it clearly (who supervises, how, when, and whether it’s “reasonable in all the circumstances”). If you can’t confidently evidence supervision, assume the role is unsupervised for eligibility purposes and reassess.

D) Age nuance: 16–17-year-olds at work

DBS guidance also notes a nuance where activity relating solely to a young person’s employment (e.g., supervising them at work) may not count as regulated activity with children.

4) Regulated activity with adults: the rules are different

Here’s the biggest mistake employers make: assuming adult regulated activity works like children’s.

DBS’s leaflet on regulated activity with adults explains that adult regulated activity is defined by the activity being carried out (e.g., certain types of care/support).

That’s why roles in adult social care often qualify for:

• Enhanced DBS (adult workforce) + adults’ barred list, when the role includes regulated activity with adults.

Practical examples that often trigger adult regulated activity (high level):

• personal care / assistance with day-to-day tasks due to age/illness/disability
• certain healthcare activities
• adult safeguarding-related roles depending on the activity and setting

If you’re hiring in adult social care, you’ll typically want your process to start with:

1. “What exact activities will they do?”
2. “Do any of those fall into regulated activity?”
3. “If yes → Enhanced with adults’ barred list (adult workforce).”

5) Workforce selection: Child vs Adult vs Other (and why it matters)

On an Enhanced DBS application, you’ll usually select a workforce:

• Child workforce
• Adult workforce
• Other workforce (not child/adult workforces, but still eligible roles)

This selection affects:

• what barred list(s) can be checked,
• and whether your request aligns with DBS eligibility guidance.

A) Use the official workforce guidance (updated Jan 2026)

DBS publishes workforce guidance that helps you decide which workforce a role sits in and whether regulated activity applies. It was last updated 20 January 2026, so it’s the right reference point for “2026” decisions.

B) Use the GOV.UK checker tool to sanity-check

The GOV.UK “Find out which DBS check is right” tool is a great triage step. We also have a free eligibility assessment tool to find out instantly!

https://www.onlinecrbcheck.co.uk/eligibility-tool.html

If you’re unsure, our team can confirm the correct workforce + barred list eligibility before submission.

6) Can someone start work while the Enhanced DBS is pending?

This is a huge question in education and care, and it’s where many organisations accidentally create risk.

Education: you can check the children’s barred list separately (in specific cases)

GOV.UK explains that recruiting organisations (including schools, colleges, LAs, trusts) can check the children’s barred list separately if a new employee will start working with children while waiting for the enhanced DBS result, or in a limited set of cases where only a barred list check is needed. Please check the Department for Education for the specifics on this service.

KCSIE context

Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) is updated annually; the 2025 version is statutory guidance and covers pre-appointment checks and regulated activity expectations in schools/colleges. Best-practice takeaway: If you ever allow a start before the DBS certificate is in hand, you need a tight risk-controlled process (supervision, identity verification, barred list check where applicable, and documented decision-making). You also need to ensure the Department for Education guidance has been followed appropriately.

7) Common mistakes (that cause delays or non-compliance)

Mistake 1: “We’ll just do barred list to be safe”

Barred list information is not optional—it’s permissioned. If the role isn’t eligible, requesting it is the wrong move.

Fix: Confirm regulated activity + workforce first.

Mistake 2: Choosing the wrong workforce

If you pick “child workforce” for an adult-care role (or vice versa), you risk:

• a rejected application,
• wrong barred list request,
• or an audit headache later.

Fix: Use DBS workforce guidance + our free eligibility assessment tool.

Mistake 3: Confusing “working in a school” with “regulated activity”

Some roles in schools have opportunity for contact but aren’t automatically regulated activity—especially where supervision/frequency differs.

Fix: Assess the activity + frequency + supervision, not just the venue.

Mistake 4: ID documents not checked correctly

Fix: Follow our ID checking guidelines (standard & enhanced DBS).

8) Quick decision guide (use this as your internal checklist)

Step 1 — Describe the role in tasks (not job title) Write what the person will do day-to-day.

Step 2 — Decide the workforce Child / Adult / Other. Use DBS workforce guidance.

Step 3 — Decide if it’s regulated activity

• If regulated activity with children → Enhanced + children’s barred list may be permitted.
• If regulated activity with adults → Enhanced + adults’ barred list may be permitted.

Step 4 — Use our eligibility tool or the GOV.UK checker tool to confirm Then proceed with the correct route.

FAQs

Can I request an Enhanced DBS with barred list for any role?

No. You can only request barred list information when the role is legally eligible (commonly because it meets regulated activity definitions and the correct workforce selection).

What’s the difference between children’s and adults’ regulated activity?

Children’s regulated activity often depends heavily on supervision and frequency, while adult regulated activity is defined by the activity and can apply even if performed once.

Can schools check the children’s barred list before the DBS certificate arrives?

In specific circumstances, yes—the GOV website and Department For Education describes when recruiting organisations can do a separate children’s barred list check.

Is “Enhanced with barred list” more expensive than Enhanced?

It the same fee for Enhanced and Enhanced with barred lists.