Recommendation FR-11: Extend Disclosure Regime Overseas
From The Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, published 20 October 2022.
Recommendation
The Inquiry recommends (as originally stated in its Children Outside the United Kingdom Phase 2 Investigation Report, dated January 2020) that the UK government introduces legislation permitting the Disclosure and Barring Service to provide enhanced certificates with barred list checks to citizens and residents of England and Wales applying for: work or volunteering with UK-based organisations, where the recruitment decision is taken outside the UK; or work or volunteering with organisations based outside the UK, in each case where the work or volunteering would be a regulated activity if in England and Wales.
In brief (written by this site)
In January 2026, Home Office minister Jess Phillips reported that legislation brought into force in December 2025 enabled ACRO Criminal Records Office to include an individual's barred list status on its International Child Protection Certificate for people seeking to work with children overseas (Jess Phillips, Jan 2026). HM Government had previously stated in April 2025 that it would enable those making decisions overseas to access Disclosure and Barring Service barred list data by 2026 (Home Office, Apr 2025). In May 2023, it accepted the recommendation in principle, committing to consider strengthening the disclosure regime in light of the Bailey Review (Home Office response, May 2023).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
We accept the need to review whether disclosure arrangements can be further strengthened for those working with children overseas, and we will consider the scope of further strengthening the regime, taking into account the findings of the Bailey Review of the Disclosure and Barring Regime published in April 2023.
Delivery
Home Office says in progress (21 January 2026)
On 18 December 2025, legislation was also brought into force which enabled ACRO Criminal Records Office to include an individual’s barred list status on its International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC) which is available to those who are looking to work with children overseas. By ensuring that overseas employers can also learn an individual’s barred list status, this will reduce the risk of those barred from working with children in the UK being able to do so overseas.
Site note: Home Office written answer of 21 January 2026. The same answer was given to ten questions tabled on 13 January 2026 about the Inquiry's recommendations; it reports under one heading per recommendation, and the row is the passage under the heading "Disclosure and Barring Service", cited to the question that asks about it.
Site note: The passage reports that barred list status can now be shown on the International Child Protection Certificate issued by ACRO Criminal Records Office. The recommendation asks for Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced certificates with barred list checks; the answer does not say that has been done.
UK Government says in progress (9 April 2025)
By 2026, working with ACRO Criminal Record Office and DBS, we will enable those making decisions overseas to have access to DBS barred list data.
From: Tackling child sexual abuse: progress update (accessible version)
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- UK Government
Response, delivery statement - Home Office
Delivery statement