Guidance on DBS for overseas work
IICSA · Children Outside the United Kingdom Phase 2 Investigation Report · Issued 30 January 2020 · Addressed to: Home Office
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation, E
The Home Office should ensure explanatory guidance is issued, providing clarity to recruiting organisations and individuals concerning the use of the Disclosure and Barring Service scheme for work and volunteering outside the UK.
IICSA, Children Outside the United Kingdom Phase 2 Investigation Report · 30 Jan 2020 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- In May 2023, the government stated that this recommendation was accepted (Government Response to IICSA Final Report, HM Government, May 2023).
- No published updated explanatory guidance on DBS use for overseas work and volunteering with children as specified has been identified to March 2026.
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government
On 21 January 2021, the Home Office stated that the Disclosure and Barring Service signposts applicants to the International Child Protection Certificate if their work abroad makes them ineligible for Disclosure and Barring Service certificates. On 28 April 2022, the UK government stated that a working group – led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – had identified the need for further clarity and guidance around the eligibility of roles within the sector for criminal record checks, through either the Disclosure and Barring Service or ACRO. The UK government confirmed that the guidance was being finalised. It also stated that it had commenced a review of the disclosure and barring regime in February 2022, to provide assurance on its effectiveness in safeguarding the vulnerable.
UK Government · 22 May 2023 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
No published activity has been recorded against this recommendation yet.
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.