What is DBS filtering?
DBS filtering is the process used to decide which cautions and convictions are disclosed on a standard or enhanced DBS certificate. Some older or minor criminal record information can be treated as protected, which means it is not automatically shown on the certificate and usually does not need to be declared for eligible roles.
Filtering matters because many self-employed professionals now use enhanced DBS checks to reassure parents, carers, households and private clients. It also matters for clients, because they should understand that an enhanced DBS certificate is not a full printout of every historic record. It shows information according to the DBS rules, the level of check, the workforce and the role being checked.
This guide explains DBS filtering in plain English for self-employed people and the people buying their services in England and Wales. If you want to understand what an enhanced certificate can include more broadly, read our guide to what an enhanced DBS check shows.
What DBS filtering means
DBS filtering is sometimes described as the removal of protected cautions and convictions from a standard or enhanced DBS certificate. In practice, DBS applies legal rules to Police National Computer records before the certificate is issued.
If a caution or conviction is protected, it is not automatically disclosed on a standard or enhanced DBS certificate. That does not mean the event never happened, and it does not delete the record from police systems. It means the record is treated differently for disclosure purposes.
Filtering is most relevant to standard and enhanced DBS checks. A basic DBS check works differently because it normally shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions only. If you are comparing levels of check, our guides to what a standard DBS check shows and what a basic DBS check shows explain the difference.
For self-employed workers, the main point is simple: a clear enhanced DBS certificate does not mean there has never been any police record. It means nothing was disclosed under the rules for that check, role and workforce at the date the certificate was issued.
What can still be disclosed after filtering
Filtering does not remove every old record from a certificate. Some information is still disclosed because Parliament has decided that it remains relevant for safeguarding, public protection or certain regulated work.
In broad terms, standard and enhanced DBS certificates can include unspent convictions and conditional cautions, plus spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected. Specified serious offences, especially offences of a serious violent or sexual nature and offences relevant to safeguarding children or vulnerable adults, are not treated in the same way as minor historic matters.
Convictions that resulted in a custodial sentence, including a suspended sentence, are not filtered in the ordinary way. Specified offences can also continue to appear regardless of how long ago they were received. DBS maintains a public list of offences that will never be filtered from a criminal record check, and applicants with any doubt should check the current DBS filtering guidance on GOV.UK before answering criminal record questions.
An enhanced DBS certificate can also include relevant police information. This is separate from the automatic disclosure of convictions and cautions. A chief officer may decide that locally held police information is relevant to the role and ought to be disclosed. That is one reason why enhanced DBS checks need the correct workforce and position details.
What is usually protected or filtered
Protected records are generally older or less serious records that meet the filtering rules. Once a caution or conviction is protected, an eligible employer or client should not ask the person to disclose it, and it should not be used in a suitability decision.
The detail depends on the type of disposal, the age of the person at the time, how long ago it happened, whether the offence is specified and whether there was a custodial sentence. The rules are technical, so it is risky to rely on memory or informal advice if you have a record and need to complete DBS application question e55.
For example, some non-specified adult cautions may be filtered after enough time has passed. Some non-specified convictions may also be filtered once the relevant time period has passed, provided they do not fall into a category that must continue to be disclosed. Youth cautions, warnings and reprimands are treated differently from adult cautions.
The safest approach is to check the current DBS filtering guidance and, if the answer could affect your work, get independent advice. Self Employed DBS can help eligible applicants understand the DBS application route, but we cannot give legal advice on whether a particular caution or conviction is protected.
Five checks before you rely on a DBS certificate
Use these points whether you are applying as a self-employed worker or viewing a certificate as a client.
Check the level
Make sure the certificate is basic, standard or enhanced as expected. Self Employed DBS can only support enhanced DBS applications for eligible self-employed roles.
Check the workforce
The certificate should match the work being done, such as child workforce, adult workforce, child and adult workforce, or other workforce.
Check the date
A DBS certificate is accurate on the date it was issued. If it is older, ask whether the person has joined the Update Service and whether a status check is appropriate.
Check what is disclosed
If information appears, consider whether it is relevant to the specific role. Do not ask for protected information that should have been filtered.
Check eligibility before applying
enhanced DBS checks are not available for every self-employed service. Confirm the role is eligible before starting the application.
How DBS filtering affects self-employed workers
Self-employed professionals in eligible roles can use an enhanced DBS check to give clients more confidence before work begins. This is common in roles involving children, adults receiving care or support, or work in sensitive settings. Eligibility still depends on the role, not on the worker simply wanting the highest level of check.
Filtering affects self-employed workers in two practical ways. First, it affects what appears on the certificate. Secondly, it affects how the applicant should answer questions on the DBS application form. Question e55 asks about convictions, cautions, reprimands or final warnings that would not be filtered in line with guidance.
If you are self-employed, you cannot usually submit an enhanced DBS application directly to DBS by yourself. You need an appropriate route through a registered organisation or umbrella body. Self Employed DBS helps eligible self-employed people apply for enhanced DBS checks online. You can also use our DBS eligibility check tool before starting.
If your certificate is older, clients may also ask whether you use the Update Service. Filtering still matters because the certificate and any Update Service status check relate to the level and workforce of the original certificate.
What clients should understand when viewing a DBS certificate
If you are a parent, carer, householder or private client, DBS filtering helps explain what you are actually looking at. A certificate is a regulated disclosure document, not a personal reference and not a full character assessment.
Check that the certificate is original, that the name and personal details match the person, that the workforce is right for the work, and that the certificate is at the expected level. For example, someone working with children should usually have a certificate that reflects the child workforce if the role is eligible.
You should not ask a self-employed person to tell you about protected cautions or convictions. You should also avoid keeping copies or photographs of the certificate. Certificate information is sensitive personal information and should only be used for the specific suitability decision for the role.
If information is disclosed, do not make a snap decision from the certificate alone. Consider the role, the nature of the information, its relevance and any safeguarding risk. In some cases, the right next step is an open, measured conversation with the applicant. If the certificate says the person is barred from work they are seeking to do with children or adults, do not engage them for that regulated activity.
Common misunderstandings about DBS filtering
The biggest misunderstanding is that filtering is the same as wiping a record. It is not. Filtering controls what is disclosed on a standard or enhanced DBS certificate under the current rules.
Another misunderstanding is that all old convictions disappear after a fixed number of years. Some records can be filtered after time has passed, but others remain disclosable because of the offence type or sentence. This is why broad claims such as “DBS checks only go back seven years” are not reliable for England and Wales. For more detail, see our guide to how far back a DBS check goes.
It is also wrong to assume that a client can ask for any level of DBS check they prefer. Standard and enhanced checks are only available where the role is eligible. A self-employed plumber entering a home for ordinary domestic work, for example, is not automatically eligible for an enhanced DBS check because the work takes place in someone’s house.
The final misunderstanding is that DBS filtering removes the need for judgement. DBS checks are one part of safer decision-making. For clients, that can also mean checking identity, qualifications, insurance, references and the exact nature of the work. For self-employed workers, it means applying for the right check and explaining its scope honestly.
This article is general guidance for England and Wales. DBS filtering rules are technical and depend on the facts of the record and role. If you need advice about a specific caution, conviction or disclosure question, consider independent legal or specialist advice.
Need an enhanced DBS check for self-employed work?
If your role is eligible, Self Employed DBS can help you start an online enhanced DBS application and understand the information you need to provide. We cannot promise what DBS will disclose, but we can help you apply through the right route.