The Children’s Barred List

The Children’s Barred List is the list, maintained by the DBS, of people barred from regulated activity with children. It is checked only as part of an Enhanced check with a barred-list check, and only where a role is regulated activity with children.

This guidance is maintained by the Complys team and reviewed against the primary DBS and GOV.UK sources listed above, and it was last reviewed on 24 September 2026. It is general information, not legal advice, and DBS rules can change, so always confirm against the official sources.

What being barred means

A person on the Children’s Barred List must not take part in regulated activity with children. It is a criminal offence for a barred person to seek or carry out that work, and for an organisation to knowingly permit it. [GOV.UK] The barred-list check exists precisely so that eligible organisations can establish this before a person starts regulated activity.

Being barred is not the same as having a criminal record, and the two are recorded differently. A barred-list result records a barring decision; the criminal-record sections of a certificate record convictions, cautions and, on an Enhanced check, relevant police information. A person can be barred without every detail appearing elsewhere on the certificate.

When the list is checked

So the barred-list check follows from regulated activity: establish whether the role is regulated activity with children first. The barred-list element is not something an employer can simply add “to be safe” to a role that is not eligible for it.

What changed with supervision in September 2026

From 1 September 2026 the supervision exemption was removed from the definition of regulated activity with children. [GOV.UK] The change applies to paid and unpaid work wherever the other criteria are met, and it is not confined to schools. A sports club, charity or other child-facing organisation may need to revisit a role it previously excluded from regulated activity solely because the person was supervised, and reconsider the lawful level of check and its safeguarding plan.

It does not make every supervised contact regulated activity: the activity, frequency, setting and other criteria still decide the outcome. Nor does it by itself require every organisation to obtain a DBS check, or to suspend a worker while an application is processed. Reassess each affected role against current guidance and record what actually changed. The detailed test lives in the regulated activity with children guide.

How people are barred, and the duty to refer

Barring decisions are made by the DBS, not by employers. Some are automatic, in some cases with the opportunity to make representations and in others without, and some are discretionary following a referral. [GOV.UK]Employers have their own responsibility here: if you remove someone from regulated activity with children, or would have done had they not left, because they harmed or risked harm to a child, you may have a legal duty to refer them to the DBS. Confirm the precise duty for your circumstances against the official guidance.

Where Complys fits

Complys does not carry out DBS checks, search barred lists or make barring or referral decisions. It helps you record that the correct level of check was completed and its date, and keep review reminders, within the official handling rules. See DBS record keeping & compliance.