An Enhanced DBS check shows the criminal-record information available at Standard level, subject to filtering, and may also include relevant information held by local police that a chief officer reasonably believes is relevant and ought to be disclosed. Eligible applications can additionally show children’s or adults’ barred-list results.
The word Enhanced does not guarantee that a barred list was checked. That depends on the duties, workforce and options requested. It also does not mean all police-held information is printed; local information must meet the disclosure test.
Scope before interpretation
Enhanced disclosure combines defined criminal-record information with a role-relevance assessment for local police information. The process is broader than Standard but still governed by filtering, relevance and legal eligibility.
A tutoring example
A tutor’s certificate states Enhanced but the barred-list fields show that no list check was requested. A school needing a children’s barred-list check cannot fill that gap by treating “Enhanced” as shorthand for every option; it must use the correct eligible route.
Use the document for its proper purpose
Keep the document or online status tied to its proper purpose. On What Does an Enhanced DBS Check Show, that means you should confirm the certificate says Enhanced before you read the workforce and barred-list fields. Only then should you note any local police information exactly as disclosed; complete the process by ensuring you assess disclosed information under a fair recruitment process.
The purpose test also asks Can an allegation appear without a conviction? The answer supported by this page is: Relevant local police information can be disclosed on Enhanced certificates where the legal test is met. If somebody wants the evidence to prove more than that, identify the additional check they actually need instead of repurposing the DBS material.
Questions specific to this disclosure
Can an allegation appear without a conviction?
Relevant local police information can be disclosed on Enhanced certificates where the legal test is met.
Are filtered cautions printed?
Information protected by the filtering rules is not disclosed merely because the check is Enhanced.
Will the certificate say “safe to work with children”?
No. It reports information; it does not award a safeguarding approval.
Use the tutor application page only when the purpose test for What Does an Enhanced DBS Check Show identifies a genuine need for a fresh check. A document being used for the wrong purpose is not fixed by vague reassurance.