DBS Checks in Fostering: Who Needs Them and How Often (2025 Guide)

DBS checks are a core pillar of safer recruitment in fostering. They help services make fair, evidence-based decisions about who can safely care for children and who can live in a fostering household. This guide explains who needs a DBS, what level is required, how often to renew, and how the DBS Update Service can simplify life for carers.

Who actually needs a DBS in fostering?

Prospective foster carers (applicants). Every applicant must have an enhanced DBS with a check of the children’s barred list. That level is appropriate because fostering is child-facing, home-based, and involves regulated activity.

Adult household members (18+). Anyone aged 18 or over who lives in the fostering household must also complete an enhanced DBS with children’s barred list. This applies even if they are not directly caring; the safeguarding risk arises from living in the home.

Ages 16–17. The legal baseline in England, Wales and Northern Ireland focuses on adults (18+). However, many fostering services choose to DBS-check 16–17-year-olds in the household as a matter of policy (especially if they have significant unsupervised contact at home). In Scotland, routine checks extend from age 16.

New adults in the home / turning 18. If a birth child or staying-put young person in placement turns 18, they must be checked promptly. The same principle applies when a new adult (partner, lodger, relative, student) moves in. Services’ local procedures spell this out clearly.

Regular visitors & non-resident partners. Where a non-resident partner or regular visitor has frequent, unsupervised contact with the child, agencies commonly require DBS (or at minimum, risk-assessed vetting) even if they do not live there. Check your agency’s policy; Ofsted expects managers to evidence proportionate decisions.

Private fostering & kinship contexts. For private fostering, authorities can request DBS for household members aged 16+. Kinship and respite arrangements follow similar safeguarding logic.

What level of DBS is used?

Fostering uses the enhanced DBS level with a check of the children’s barred list. That reveals spent/unspent convictions and relevant police intelligence, and confirms whether someone is barred from working with children. Household members are eligible for this level because they live with someone carrying out regulated activity in the home.

How often should DBS checks be renewed?

There is no statutory expiry date on a DBS certificate, and no universal legal refresh cycle in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. In practice, fostering services set policy to repeat checks about every three years, or earlier if circumstances change (e.g., allegation, new information, or role change). Scotland’s regulations expect more frequent updating (commonly every two years).

Best practice today:

• Subscribe carers and adult household members to the DBS Update Service and run annual online status checks; or
• Re-do fresh DBS checks on a three-year cycle (many councils document this in their fostering handbook).

Remember: if a new adult joins the home, a new DBS is needed before they have unsupervised contact with the child.

The DBS Update Service (why it’s worth using)

The DBS Update Service keeps an enhanced certificate “live” and allows the fostering service, with consent, to check online whether anything has changed since issue. It’s inexpensive (free for volunteers; otherwise an annual fee) and reduces repeat paperwork. Most Ofsted-regulated settings now encourage subscription as a matter of good safeguarding practice.

How it helps foster families

• Faster annual checks at review time.
• Portability across roles within the same workforce (child workforce).
• Immediate status re-checks if a concern arises.

What appears on an enhanced DBS?

An enhanced DBS can disclose:

• Spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, warnings;
• Any relevant police information (local intelligence);
• Whether the individual is barred from working with children.

Ofsted’s guidance emphasises a proportionate, risk-based interpretation. A past offence does not automatically preclude fostering; the key questions are relevance, pattern, recency, and risk. Agencies should document the decision-making trail.

Positive disclosures: what if something shows up?

• Expect a discussion and written risk assessment considering the nature of the information, timescales, and safeguards in place.
• Agencies cross-reference DBS with references, medicals, home assessment and Safer Caring plans.
• Applicants can view their certificate and provide context; services record the decision and rationale for panel/inspection.

Common scenarios & what to d

1) Your 17-year-old turns 18 next month.
Tell your supervising social worker in advance so the DBS application starts in time. Until cleared, manage supervision carefully (no unsupervised childcare).

2) A new partner starts staying over most nights.
Declare the change immediately. The service will decide on DBS, references and a home risk assessment before unsupervised contact occurs.

3) You’re transferring agency.
Even with a recent certificate, the new service may re-check or run an Update Service status check as part of safer recruitment, especially if the previous certificate is not registered online.

4) You receive a fixed-penalty or are questioned by police.
Inform your agency immediately under your terms of approval. They will decide whether to re-check DBS and review safer-caring.

England, Wales, Scotland, NI: key differences at a glance

• England/Wales/NI: Enhanced DBS with children’s barred list for applicants and adult household members (18+); many services also check 16–17s by policy. No statutory re-check interval; 3-year refresh or Update Service is common.
• Scotland: Routine checks extend to age 16+; services expect more frequent updating (commonly 2-year). (Note: Scotland uses PVG Scheme, but fostering guidance aligns on the principle of regular updates.)

Practical tips for carers

1. Subscribe to the Update Service the moment your enhanced DBS arrives (within the allowed time window). It’s the simplest way to keep your record current and minimise repeat forms.
2. Calendar your review dates. If your service runs a three-year refresh cycle, set reminders at 30/60/90 days so renewal doesn’t hold up placements or approvals.
3. Report changes early. Visitors, new adults in the home, police contact—tell your SSW straight away so the service can risk-assess and, if needed, re-check.
4. Keep ID documents handy. Renewed passports or driving licences make re-checks faster. Ofsted expects managers to show your recruitment file is complete and up to date.

Bottom line

• Everyone who applies to foster needs an enhanced DBS with children’s barred list; so do adult household members (18+)—and many services also check 16–17s, with Scotland routinely checking from 16.
• There is no legal expiry, but best practice is DBS every three years or annual Update Service status checks; Scotland typically updates every two years.
• When in doubt—declare changes early, use the Update Service, and ask your agency for its written policy so you know exactly what will be checked and when.