{"id":8053,"date":"2026-10-19T21:17:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T21:17:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visiting-angels.co.uk\/cheshire-east\/?p=8053"},"modified":"2026-10-19T21:42:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T21:42:48","slug":"do-carers-need-dbs-check","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visiting-angels.co.uk\/cheshire-east\/do-carers-need-dbs-check\/","title":{"rendered":"Do carers need a DBS check, and who pays for it?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Quick summary<\/b><\/h3>

Yes, an enhanced DBS check with a barred list check, because personal care is regulated activity. A good employer pays for it and does not deduct it from your first wage. Old and minor matters are often filtered out and never appear, and a record does not automatically rule you out.<\/span><\/p>

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Which check care work needs<\/b><\/h3>

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Level<\/b><\/p><\/th>

What it shows<\/b><\/p><\/th>

Used for<\/b><\/p><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>

Basic<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Unspent convictions only<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Retail, hospitality, some admin<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Standard<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, subject to filtering<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Some finance and legal roles<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Enhanced<\/b><\/p><\/td>

All of the above plus relevant police information<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Regulated roles<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Enhanced with barred list<\/b><\/p><\/td>

All of the above plus whether you are barred from working with adults or children<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Care work<\/b><\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

Providing personal care, washing, dressing, help with the toilet or supporting someone with medication, counts as regulated activity, so the enhanced check with the adults’ barred list is the right level.<\/span><\/p>

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Who pays<\/b><\/h3>

The employer requests it, and a good one pays for it.<\/span><\/p>

The government fee for an enhanced check has been \u00a349.50, and DBS announced in September 2026 that fees would fall from 5 October 2026, with the enhanced check reducing to around \u00a341 and the standard check to around \u00a320. Umbrella body or administration fees can sit on top of the government fee.<\/span><\/p>

We pay for it, and we do not deduct it from wages.<\/b> If an employer tells you it will come out of your first pay packet, that is worth questioning before you accept the job.<\/span><\/p>

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What actually shows up<\/b><\/h3>

This is the part that stops people applying, usually unnecessarily.<\/span><\/p>

An enhanced check can show spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings, plus any relevant local police information. It is not simply a list of everything that ever happened.<\/span><\/p>

Filtering rules<\/b> remove many older and minor matters. The system distinguishes between specified offences, which are violent, sexual or safeguarding-related and are always disclosed, and protectable offences, which are filtered based on how long ago they were, how old you were, and whether there are other convictions. In broad terms, many single, older, minor and non-violent matters no longer appear.<\/span><\/p>

The rules are detailed, and if you are unsure what will show, Unlock, the charity for people with convictions, publishes clear guidance and runs a helpline.<\/span><\/p>

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If something does show<\/b><\/h3>

It does not automatically end the application.<\/span><\/p>

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