From 2 December 2024 fees for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks will increase. Anyone working with children is required to have an enhanced DBS check with barred lists (previously known as CRB, or criminal record checks). You can read more about this in Ofsted and the Disclosure and Barring Services guidance for childcare providers.
The DBS checks fee increase will be as follows:
- Update Service: Increasing from £13 to £16 (per year)
- Basic DBS check: Increasing from £18 to £21.50
- Standard DBS Check: Increasing from £18 to £21.50
- Enhanced DBS Check Increasing from £38 to £49.50
- Enhanced DBS check with Barred List(s): Increasing from £38 to £49.50
The Disclosure and Barring Service said in its news story:
“These changes are necessary to maintain the highest quality, to allow DBS to effectively safeguard our society.
Quality remains at the core of what DBS does in its products, in the services DBS provides, and in the decisions that it makes, and the new fees will help maintain the high-quality service that DBS provides to safeguard our society.”
At PACEY we encourage those considering a job in early years and childcare to factor in the costs associated with registering as a childcare provider. If you’re registering as a childminder, this is likely to include your registration fee, DBS and health checks, training, insurance and registration to keep digital records. New childminders in England may be eligible for a start-up grant which is a one-off payment from the government to help cover these costs.
