Eligibility

If you are going to work as a paid employee or as a volunteer for an organisation and your work will bring you into contact with children or vulnerable adults, you may be asked to apply for a CRB check. For example, if you are to work as a teacher, care worker, scout & guide leader, registered childminder, sports coach, youth club worker, foster carer or adoptive parent.

CRB check may also be required for a range of other types of job or licences

Important

The current legislation does not allow the self-employed or individuals to apply for a CRB check on themselves. In addition, parents who employ a nanny/au pair/babysitter directly cannot apply for a CRB check; however, if an agency supplies the nanny/au pair/babysitter, the agency is entitled to carry out a CRB check.

Disclosure Access Category Codes

The categories listed represent the professions, offices, employments, work and occupations that are known as the exceptions to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (ROA). Organisations registered with the CRB can only apply for a CRB Check if the position is included in this list. The code number listed next to each section refers to the Disclosure Access Category Code.

The Registered Body should indicate which category they are applying under on the CRB application form, by quoting one category code in Section Y5 of the application form.

From the 12th October 2009, the old category codes 1 to 10 have changed to reflect the extended eligibility for Enhanced CRB checks due to the introduction of the Vetting and Barring Scheme. The definition of 'Regulated Activity' as described within the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, in so far as it relates to working with children and vulnerable adults, is referred to in the revised category codes 01 and 02. Please ensure that you only use the category codes listed below as category codes 07-10 no longer exist. The links provided will take you to the relevant schedule within the act.

You should select the code that most closely identifies with the work for which you are asking the exempted question.

Standard Codes

Category type Category Code
Any work which is defined as regulated activity relating to children within the meaning of Part 1 of Schedule 4 to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 01
Any work which is defined as regulated activity relating to vulnerable Adults within the meaning of Part 2 of Schedule 4 to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 02
Any office or employment which is concerned with the representation of, or advocacy services for, vulnerable adults by a service that has been approved by the Secretary of State or created under any enactment; and which is of such a kind as to enable a person, in the course of his normal duties, to have access to vulnerable adults in receipt of such services 03
Any work in a further education institution where the normal duties of that work involve regular contact with persons aged under 18 04
Any position which otherwise involves regularly caring for, training, supervising or being solely in charge of persons under 18 05
Any position which otherwise involves regularly caring for, training, supervising or being solely in charge of vulnerable adults within the meaning of section 59 of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 06

Profession Codes

Category codes 11 to 28 refer to all professions that are exempt from the provisions of the ROA

Category type Category Code
Medical Practitioner 11
Barrister (in England and Wales), advocate (in Scotland), solicitor 12
Chartered accountant, certified accountant 13
Dentist, dental hygienist, dental auxiliary 14
Veterinary surgeon 15
Nurse, midwife 16
Ophthalmic optician, dispensing optician 17
Pharmaceutical chemist, Registered Pharmacists & Registered Pharmacy Technicians 18
Registered teacher (in Scotland) 19
Any profession to which the (Health Professions Order 2001) applies and which is undertaken following registration under that Act 20
Registered osteopath 21
Registered chiropractor 22
Chartered psychologist 23
Actuary 24
Registered foreign lawyer 25
Legal executive 26
Receiver appointed by the Court of Protection 27
Home Inspector 28

Offices, Employments and Work Codes

Category codes 29 to 58 refer to all offices, employments and work that are exempt from the provisions of the ROA 1974.

Category type Category Code
Judicial appointment 29
The Director of Public Prosecutions and any office or employment in the Crown Prosecution Service 30
Justices' chief executives, justices' clerks and their assistants 31
Clerks (including deputy and assistant clerks) and officers of the High Court of Justiciary, the Court of Session and the district court, sheriff clerks (including sheriff clerks deputy) and their clerks and assistants 32
Police constables or police cadets and persons employed for the purposes of assisting constables of a Police Force 33
Employment within the precincts of a prison, remand centre, detention centre, Borstal institution or young offenders institution, and members of boards of visitors (England & Wales) or of visiting committees (Scotland) 34
Traffic wardens 35
Probation officers 36
Any employment or other work which is concerned with the provision of health services and which is of such a kind as to enable the holder to have access to persons in receipt of such services in the course of his normal duties 37
Any occupation in respect of which an application to the Gaming Board for Great Britain for a licence, certificate or registration is required by or under any enactment 38
Financial Services position – This means all positions for which the Financial Services Authority or the competent authority for listings are entitled to ask exempted questions to fulfil their obligations under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 39
Any occupation which is concerned with the management of a place in respect of which the approval of the Secretary of State is required by section 1 of the Abortion Act 1967 40

Any occupation which is concerned with:

  • in England and Wales, carrying on a nursing home in respect of which registration is required by Section 187 of the Public Health Act 1936 or Section 14 of the Mental Health Act 1959, or
  • in Scotland, carrying on a nursing home in respect of which registration is required under Section 1 of the Nursing Homes Registration (Scotland) Act 1938 or a private hospital in respect of which registration is required under Section 15 of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1960
41
Any occupation which is concerned with carrying on an establishment in respect of which registration is required by Section 37 of the National Assistance Act 1948 or Section 61 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 42
Any occupation in respect of which the holder, as occupier of premises on which explosives are kept, is required by any Order in Council made under section 43 of the Explosives Act 1875 to obtain from the police or a court of summary jurisdiction a certificate as to his fitness to keep the explosives 43
Inspectors and other staff working for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (the RSPCA) who, as part of their duties, may carry out humane killing of animals 44
Any office or employment or other work in the Serious Fraud Office 45
Any office or employment in the Serious Organised Crime Agency, [SOCA] 46
The Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and any office or employment in their services. The Director and any office or employment in the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office 47
Any employment which is concerned with the monitoring for the purposes of child protection, of communications by means of the internet 48
An individual designated under section 2 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 49

Court Positions

  • Judges’ clerks, secretaries and legal secretaries within the meaning of section 98 of the Supreme Court Act 1981(c)
  • Court officers and court contractors, who in the course of their work, have face to face contact with judges of the Supreme Court, or access to such judges’ lodgings
  • Persons who in the course of their work have regular access to personal information relating to an identified or identifiable member of the judiciary
  • Court officers and court contractors, who, in the course of their work. Attend either the Royal Courts of Justice or the Central Criminal Court
  • Court security officers, and tribunal security officers
  • Court contractors, who, in the course of their work, have unsupervised access to court-houses, offices and other accommodation used in relation to the courts
  • Contractors, sub-contractors, and any person acting under the authority of such a contractor or sub-contractor, who, in the course of their work, have unsupervised access to tribunal buildings, offices and other accommodation used in relation to tribunals

The following persons –

  1. Court officers who execute county court warrants
  2. High Court enforcement officers
  3. sheriffs and under-sheriffs
  4. tipstaffs
  5. any other persons who execute High Court writs or warrants who act under the authority of a person listed at (a) to (d)
  6. persons who execute writs of sequestration;
  7. civilian enforcement officers as defined in section 125A of the Magistrates Courts Act 1980;
  8. persons who are authorised to execute warrants under section 125B  (1) of the Magistrates Courts Act 1980, and any other person (other than a constable) who is authorised to execute a warrant under section 125 (2) of the 1980 Act;
  9. persons who execute clamping orders, as defined in paragraph 38(2) of Schedule 5 of the Courts Act 2003(d)The Official Solicitor and his deputy
  • Persons appointed to the office of Public Trustee or deputy Public Trustee, and officers of the Public Trustee
  • Court officers and court contractors who exercise functions in connection with the administration and management of funds in court including the deposit, payment, delivery and transfer in, into and out of any court of funds in court and regulating the evidence of such deposit, payment, delivery or transfer and court officers and court contractors, who receive payment in pursuance of a conviction or order of a magistrates' court
 50
People working in the Department of Children, Schools and Families (formally Department for Education and Skills), the Office for Standards in Education, Children's services and Skills or in the government Offices for the English Regions with access to sensitive or personal information about children or vulnerable adults. 51
Any office, employment or other work which is concerned with the establishment or operation of a database under section 12 of the Children Act 2004 , and which is of such a kind as to enable the holder of that office or employment, or the person engaged in that work, to have access to information included in the database. 52
Any office, employment of other work which is of such a kind that the person is or may be permitted or required to be given access to a database under section 12 of Children Act 2004. 53
Any work which is normally concerned with the provision of any form of information, advice or guidance wholly or mainly to children which relates to their physical, emotional or educations well-being and is provided by means of telephone or other form of electronic communication including the internet and mobile telephone text messaging. 54
The Chairman, other members, and members of staff (including any person seconded to serve as a member of staff) of the Independent Safeguarding Authority (formally Independent Barring Board). 55
Staff working within the Public Guardianship Office (to be known as the Office of the Public Guardian from October 2007) with access to data relating to children and vulnerable adults. 56
The Commissioners for the Gambling Commission and any office or employment in their services. 57

Any employment or other work, where normal duties

  1. involve caring for, training, supervising, or being solely in charge of, persons aged under 18 serving in the naval, military or air forces of the Crown; or
  2. include supervising or managing a person employed or working in a capacity referred to in paragraph (a).
 57

Activity Codes

Category codes 59 to 74 refer to other activities for which you are entitled to ask a question that is exempted from the provisions of the ROA 1974

Category type Category Code
A person living at the premises where a childminding or day care service is provided or who regularly works on the premises at a time when the childminding takes place. 59
A person living in the same household as a person whose suitability is being assessed for a position working with children and who lives on the same premises where their work with children would normally take place. 60
For National Lottery licensing purposes. 61
For the purpose of licensing hackney carriage or private hire vehicle drivers. 62
For the purpose of safeguarding national security. 63
For adoption purposes. 64
For foster caring purposes. 65
For the purpose of licensing under Section 8 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. 66
For the award of public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts in accordance with Directive 2004/17/EC and 2004/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of March 2004(a) 67
Football Stewards, supervisors or managers of football stewards 68
Approved legal Services body Manager 69
The Commissioners for older people in Wales, his deputy and any people appointed by the Commissioner, to assist him in the discharge of his functions or authorised to discharge his functions on his behalf 70
Any employment or other work which is normally carried out in premises approved under section 9 of the Criminal Juistice and Court Services Act 2000 71
Any person who has applied to be granted membership of the Master Locksmith Association. 72
A regulated immigration adviser who provides immigration advice or immigration services under Section 82(1) of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999(a). This also applies to persons who can act on behalf of and under the supervision of such a registered person. 73
Any person or body required to obtain or retain a licence under regulation 5 of the Misuse of drugs regulations 2001 (a) or under article3 (2) of regulation 2004/273/EC(b) or under article 6 (1) of regulations 2005/111/EC(c) 74