By the Big on Health editorial team, Ideas in Medicine Ltd.

This is not medical, legal or financial advice. Big on Health is a UK review site. For health worries, speak to the GP, pharmacist or NHS 111. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.

When a family hires help at home, a criminal record check is usually one of the first questions. In England and Wales this is a DBS check, from the Disclosure and Barring Service. The rules about who can ask for which check are not obvious, especially when you are hiring a self-employed carer or employing someone yourself. This page explains, in plain English, what each level of check shows, what a family can and cannot request, what it costs, how to check a certificate is genuine, and how things work in Scotland and Northern Ireland. We checked every source on 26 Oct 2026.

The four levels of DBS check

GOV.UK lists four types of DBS check:

• Basic check. Shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions.
• Standard check. Shows spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings.
• Enhanced check. Shows the same as a standard check, plus any information held by local police that is considered relevant to the role.
• Enhanced check with barred lists. Shows the same as an enhanced check, plus whether the person is on the list of people barred from doing the role.

For someone who will give personal care to an older or disabled adult, families usually want to see an enhanced check with the adults’ barred list, where the person and the role are eligible for one. A basic check shows much less.

What a family can and cannot request

This is the part that catches most families out. GOV.UK says that if you are hiring a self-employed person, or a “personal employee”, to deliver services to you or a member of your family, you cannot request a DBS check for them. They need to request one for themselves, and you then check their certificate. A personal employee is someone employed directly by a private individual to deliver services to them or their family.

GOV.UK says a self-employed person or personal employee can request a basic check for themselves. It says they can apply for an enhanced check, or an enhanced check with barred list, if:

• the role is eligible,
• they are paid for the work, and
• they are self-employed or a personal employee.

GOV.UK says they apply through a “responsible organisation”, which is an organisation registered with the DBS to process checks.

If you use a homecare agency, the agency is the employer and handles checks for its own staff. If you use an introductory platform, ask exactly what it checks and when, and ask to see the certificate itself. See Care agency vs private carer in the UK.

What it costs and how long it takes

These are the fees shown on GOV.UK on 26 Oct 2026. Fees can change, and a responsible organisation or umbrella body may add its own charge.

• Basic check: £20.
• Standard check: £20.
• Enhanced check: £41.
• Enhanced check with barred lists: £41.
• DBS Update Service: £15 a year.

GOV.UK says basic checks take up to 14 days, and standard and enhanced checks usually take around 8 weeks, although this can be shorter or longer. Applicants can track their check online. If a carer has only just applied, ask how they plan to work in the meantime, for example only alongside a family member.

How to check a certificate

A DBS certificate is sent to the person who was checked, not to you. GOV.UK says that when you accept a certificate you should:

• check the person’s identity matches the details on the certificate,
• check the certificate is the right level and type for the role, and
• check whether anything has changed, if the person is signed up to the Update Service.

GOV.UK says paper certificates have security features, including a “crown seal” watermark down the right side, a background design featuring the word “Disclosure” in a wave pattern, and ink and paper that change colour when wet. It also says DBS cannot replace lost or damaged certificates.

How old can a certificate be?

GOV.UK says a DBS check has no official expiry date. The information on it is accurate at the time the check was carried out, and it is up to you to decide when a new check is needed.

The Update Service helps here. GOV.UK says it is for standard and enhanced checks only, and that the person must register within 30 days of the certificate being issued. With the person’s permission, someone legally entitled to carry out a check can see straight away, free of charge, whether anything has changed. GOV.UK also says a certificate can usually move from one role to the next, unless a new certificate is asked for, or a different level or type of check is needed (for example, an adult workforce check rather than a child workforce check).

Carers who have lived abroad

GOV.UK says DBS checks do not cover time someone lived outside the UK. If a carer has lived abroad, the person requesting the check may ask them to get a check from the country they lived in.

Scotland: Disclosure Scotland and the PVG scheme

DBS checks cover England and Wales. In Scotland, checks are run by Disclosure Scotland. mygov.scot says the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme helps make sure people who are unsuitable to work with children and protected adults cannot do regulated roles with them. It says joining the PVG scheme is a legal requirement for anyone doing a regulated role, that membership lasts five years, and that Disclosure Scotland keeps checking members’ suitability until they leave the scheme.

The lowest level of check in Scotland is now called a Level 1 disclosure (it used to be called a basic disclosure). mygov.scot says it shows unspent convictions, costs £25, and is usually processed within 14 days. Ask Disclosure Scotland which level applies to the role you are filling.

Northern Ireland: AccessNI

In Northern Ireland, checks are run by AccessNI. nidirect says a self-employed person, or a personal employee employed directly by a private individual, can apply for their own AccessNI standard or enhanced check through an AccessNI Umbrella Body, if the role is regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults. It says the Umbrella Body charges a fee on top of the cost of the certificate, and that the certificate is issued digitally to the person’s nidirect account, where they can share it with the people employing them.

What a check does not tell you

A clear check is reassuring, but it is not a guarantee of good care. It does not tell you about skill, kindness, reliability or experience. Use it alongside identification, two recent references, training records, a trial period and a written agreement. Our guide to Questions to ask before hiring a private carer lists what else to ask.

Questions to ask about checks

• May I see your DBS certificate (or PVG or AccessNI disclosure) and photo identification?
• What level of check is it, and was it for an adult workforce role?
• When was it issued? Are you on the Update Service, and will you give me permission to check it?
• Have you lived outside the UK? If so, do you have a check from that country?
• Can you give me two recent references from people you have cared for or worked for?

Related guides

• Finding a private carer in the UK
• Questions to ask before hiring a private carer
• Care agency vs private carer in the UK
• Comparing care options in the UK
• Paying for private care in the UK
• Live-in care in the UK
• Overnight care at home

Sources

All checked on 26 Oct 2026.

• GOV.UK: Check someone’s criminal record
• GOV.UK: Get a standard or enhanced DBS check for an employee or volunteer
• GOV.UK: Criminal record checks when you apply for a role
• GOV.UK: Criminal record checks, application process
• GOV.UK: Request a basic DBS check
• GOV.UK: DBS Update Service
• mygov.scot: Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme
• mygov.scot: Apply for a Level 1 disclosure
• nidirect: Checks for self-employed or personal employees
• nidirect: AccessNI criminal record checks

This page is general information, not legal advice. If you are not sure which check applies, ask the DBS, Disclosure Scotland or AccessNI before anyone starts work.

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