What does an enhanced DBS check show?
What does an enhanced DBS check show? An enhanced DBS check shows the same criminal record information as a standard DBS check, plus any relevant information held by local police. If the role is eligible for an enhanced check with barred list information, it can also show whether the person is on the Children’s barred list, the Adults’ barred list or both.
For self-employed professionals in England and Wales, this matters because the certificate is often used by clients, parents, carers or organisations when deciding whether someone is suitable for work involving children, adults who receive care or other eligible roles. It is not a character reference and it does not guarantee that a person is safe. It is one part of a wider suitability decision.
What an enhanced DBS certificate can include
An enhanced DBS certificate can include several types of information, depending on the role, the workforce and the records held about the applicant.
- Unspent convictions and conditional cautions recorded on the Police National Computer.
- Spent convictions and adult cautions that are not filtered under DBS disclosure rules.
- Relevant local police information if a chief police officer reasonably believes the information is relevant to the role and ought to be included.
- Barred list information only where the role is eligible for an enhanced check with a check of the Children’s Barred List, Adults’ Barred List or both.
The local police information part is what makes an enhanced DBS check different from a standard check. A standard certificate is limited to specified criminal record information from central records, subject to filtering. An enhanced certificate can go further where police hold information that is relevant to the role.
If you want to compare levels of check, see our guides to what a standard DBS check shows and what a basic DBS check shows.
What relevant police information means
Relevant police information is sometimes called approved information or non-conviction information. It can be included on an enhanced DBS certificate where local police decide that the information is relevant to the workforce or role and that it ought to be disclosed.
This does not mean every police contact, allegation or investigation will appear. The decision is role-specific. For example, information considered relevant to unsupervised work with children may not be relevant to a different role in another workforce.
For self-employed applicants, this is one reason the role description and workforce must be correct when the application is made. A certificate for the wrong workforce may not answer the question a client or organisation needs to ask. If you are unsure which workforce applies, our guide to DBS workforce types explains the common options.
Enhanced DBS checks with barred list information
An enhanced DBS check and an enhanced DBS check with barred list information are not the same thing. The barred list part is added only where the role is eligible for it, usually because the work falls within regulated activity or another specified category.
There are two DBS barred lists: one for children and one for adults. A role may need a check of one list, both lists or neither. A children’s tutor, for example, will usually need the child workforce considered. A care worker providing personal care to adults may need the adult workforce considered.
If a certificate states that a person is barred from the group they are seeking to work with, they must not be used for regulated activity with that group. For clients and families, this is one of the most important details to check on the original certificate.
Eligibility depends on the actual duties, setting, frequency and who the work is for. Our pages on private tutors and care workers show how this can apply in common self-employed roles.
What to check before applying
Before starting an enhanced DBS application, make sure the check matches the work you actually do. These five checks reduce delays and help avoid the wrong certificate.
Confirm the role
Write down the services you provide, who receives them and where the work takes place. Eligibility is based on duties, not job title alone.
Choose the workforce
Decide whether the application relates to the child workforce, adult workforce, child and adult workforce or other workforce.
Check barred list eligibility
Only request Children’s barred list or Adults’ barred list information where the role legally qualifies for that check.
Prepare identity documents
Your identity must be verified as part of the DBS application. Names, dates of birth and address history should match your documents.
Consider the Update Service
If you plan to show your certificate to more than one client, the Update Service may help you keep an eligible certificate current.
What may not appear on an enhanced DBS check
An enhanced DBS check is detailed, but it is not an unlimited search of every possible record.
- Protected convictions and cautions are filtered and do not appear.
- Some old or minor information may be filtered under the disclosure rules.
- DBS cannot access overseas criminal records in the same way it checks UK records, so an enhanced DBS check may not give a complete picture if someone has lived outside the UK.
- A DBS check does not check a person’s right to work in the UK.
- A DBS certificate does not show general references, qualifications, insurance, training records or complaints that have not been disclosed through the DBS process.
This is why an enhanced DBS certificate should sit alongside other checks. For a self-employed tutor, coach, therapist, carer or contractor, a client may also want to see proof of identity, qualifications, insurance and current references where appropriate.
For a deeper look at disclosure periods and older information, read our guide to how far back a DBS check goes.
Who can apply for an enhanced DBS check when self-employed
Since 21 January 2026, eligible paid self-employed people and personal employees can apply for an enhanced DBS check, or an enhanced check with barred list information, through a DBS umbrella body. The role must still be eligible. The self-employed person cannot simply choose the highest level of check because a client prefers it.
Private individuals, such as a parent hiring a tutor or a person arranging their own care, cannot apply for the DBS check on the worker’s behalf. The applicant must apply through an umbrella body if they are eligible. If the self-employed person is working through, or contracted to, an organisation, that organisation may apply on their behalf in line with its own process.
Self-Employed-DBS helps eligible self-employed people understand and apply for the appropriate enhanced DBS check. We can only provide enhanced DBS checks, so we will not process a basic or standard DBS check application.
If you are not sure whether your role qualifies, use our DBS eligibility check tool before starting an application.
How clients should read an enhanced DBS certificate
A client, parent, carer or household employer should ask to see the original DBS certificate, not a copy or a photograph. They should check the applicant’s name, identity, issue date, workforce, role details and whether any criminal record information, police information or barred list information has been disclosed.
DBS certificates do not have an official expiry date. The information is accurate when the certificate is issued. If the applicant is not on the DBS Update Service, the person viewing the certificate should consider how old it is and whether a newer check is needed for the role.
If the applicant has joined the Update Service, a status check can show whether the certificate remains current, provided the person checking has consent, has seen the original certificate and is entitled to request that level and workforce of check. The Update Service is for standard and enhanced DBS checks, not basic checks.
If information is disclosed, it should be considered fairly and in the context of the role. The right question is not simply whether the certificate is blank. The question is whether the information, if any, is relevant to the work being carried out and the people who may be affected.
This article is general guidance for England and Wales and is not legal advice. DBS eligibility depends on the role and duties. Self Employed DBS can help with enhanced DBS checks for eligible self-employed applicants, but we cannot guarantee eligibility, processing times or certificate content.
Need an enhanced DBS check for self-employed work?
If your role is eligible, Self Employed DBS can help you start an enhanced DBS application online. We focus on enhanced checks for self-employed people, so you can apply with clearer guidance on workforce, role details and next steps.