For DBS Checks, What Does ‘Regulated Activity’ Refer to?
It is common practice for employers, prior to making a firm job offer to a candidate, to request that they complete a DBS check. Sometimes, it is only job roles that involve regulated activity that require a DBS. If you are unfamiliar with what the term regulated activity means, this article will explain it:
Definition of ‘Regulated Activity’
‘Regulated Activity’ refers to the job role that a prospective employee would be doing that is either connected to children or vulnerable adults. This type of job would require the candidate to complete an enhanced DBS Check with Barred List.
The enhanced DBS Check with Barred List is the most thorough DBS check that can be conducted, and it will check a person’s criminal history, to look for spent and unspent convictions, cautions, warnings, and reprimands. The Barred List will check to ensure that the person does not appear on any government barred lists, which state based on their past behaviour that they are banned from working with children or vulnerable adults.
If the job role you are about to take, means that you work directly with children, or will regularly come into contact with children, then this is ‘Regulated Activity.’ Some types of job roles that involve regulated activity with children include childcare and nursery staff, teachers, trainers, dentists, and coaches. If a candidate was applying to work at a school, nursery or children’s home, they are likely to need an Enhanced DBS with Barred List.
Something that is worth noting, is that even short-term contractors, who enter an establishment where there are children, more than three times within 30 consecutive days, require an Enhanced DBS Check with Barred List.
Regulated Activity – Working with Vulnerable Adults
If you will be working with vulnerable adults, your job role could include any of the following:
- Providing personal care for a vulnerable adult.
- Providing healthcare to a vulnerable adult (such as in a doctors or hospital setting)
- Providing social work to a vulnerable adult.
- Helping a vulnerable adult with their own affairs (perhaps banking, or shopping, fetching medication etc).
- Helping a vulnerable adult with things in their household (perhaps cleaning, preparing food for them etc.)
- Transporting a vulnerable person to a place where they will receive care or social work.
You can find out more about Regulated Activities by looking at the Department of Health’s website.
What Type of Things Don’t Fall Under Regulated Activity?
- If you are simply baby sitting a child for a family member or friend as a one off for a morning, this is not regulated activity.
- If you are running a keep-fit class and a child or vulnerable adult attends, this is not regulated activity.
- If you are a visitor to a person at a children’s home or a nursing home, this is not regulated activity.
- If you work in a shop, where children or vulnerable adults may be customers, then this is not regulated activity either.
A DBS Enhanced Check with Barred List are requested by employees on behalf of a job candidate who wants formal employment with their organisation; they are to ensure that anyone doing regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults, are safe to do so.
