Regulated Activity in relation to Children
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Regulated activity is work that a barred person must not do. This note provides information on the scope of Regulated Activity in relation to children, defined in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 (the Order), as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and the Crime and Policing Act 2026.
The Crime and Policing Act amends the Order to remove the supervision exemption from the definition of regulated activity involving children. This amendment comes into effect on 1st 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. These individuals will therefore be eligible for an enhanced check with children's barred list information from 1 September 2026.