Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups - Disclosure and Barring Service

Guidance on disclosure and barring arrangements

Useful advice and guidance on disclosure and barring arrangements under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 (as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and the Crime and Policing Act 2026).

• Regulated Activity - Children
• Regulated Activity - Adults

Changes to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (NI) Order 2007 by the Crime and Policing Act 2026

The Crime and Policing Act amends the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 to remove the supervision exemption from the definition of regulated activity involving children. This amendment comes into effect on 1^st September 2026. As a result, individuals who frequently undertake roles involving teaching, supervision, instruction or care of children, will be considered to be engaged in regulated activity, irrespective of whether they are supervised. The removal of the supervision exemption will also bring into scope certain volunteers in specified establishments who would previously have been excluded from regulated activity solely because they were supervised.

The Statutory Guidance published by the Secretary of State on supervision of activity with children which is regulated activity when unsupervised is therefore spent from midnight on 31^st August 2026. Any physical copies of this guidance should be destroyed. 

DBS referral and decision-making guidance

Guidance documents about making referrals to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (formerly the Independent Safeguarding Authority) and about the DBS Decision Making Process, are available from the DBS website.

Legislation

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 makes provision for checking persons seeking to work with children or vulnerable adults, and for barring those considered to be unsuitable for such posts, whether in paid employment or voluntary work. Similar legislation, the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, is in place for England and Wales.

Full details of the Order and Act are available at legislation.gov.uk.

• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006

The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 , which makes changes to the provision under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (NI) Order 2007 and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 can also be accessed at legislation.gov.uk.

• The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012

The provisions in the Order, and the changes made to those provisions by the Protection of Freedoms Act, will be implemented in Northern Ireland by a number of pieces of secondary legislation and each Statutory Rule will be added to this website when it is made.

To date the following secondary legislation has been made:

• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (2007 Order) (Commencement No. 1) Order (Northern Ireland) 2008
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Transitional Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2008
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Prescribed Criteria) (Transitional Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Barring Procedure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Barred List Prescribed Information) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (2007 Order) (Commencement No. 2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2008
• The Care Tribunal (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Prescribed Criteria) (Foreign Offences) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Transitory Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009 (Revoked 12/10/10)
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Prescribed Criteria and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Prescribed Information) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (2007 Order) (Commencement No. 3) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009
• The Care Tribunal (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Regulated Activity, Transitional Provisions and Commencement No.4) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Miscellaneous Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (2007 Order) (Commencement No. 5, Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (2007 Order) (Commencement No. 6 and Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (2007 Order) (Commencement No. 5, Transitional Provisions and Savings) (Amendment)) Order (Northern Ireland) 2010
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Regulated Activity, Devolution Alignment and Miscellaneous Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2010
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Prescribed Criteria and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Barred Lists: Scotland) Order (Northern Ireland) 2010
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Prescribed Criteria and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order (Northern Ireland) 2012
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Miscellaneous Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2012
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (2007 Order) (Commencement No. 7) Order (Northern Ireland) 2012
• The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (Commencement No. 2) Order 2012
• The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (Commencement No. 3) Order 2012

The Crime and Policing Act amends the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 to remove the supervision exemption from the definition of regulated activity involving children. This amendment comes into effect on 1^st September 2026 by virtue of the following Commencement Order: The Crime and Policing (2026 Act) (Commencement No. 1) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026.

Useful links

• Disclosure and Barring Service
• Department of Education
• Access Northern Ireland
• Care Tribunal