Is My Child's Tutor Safe? DBS Checks Explained for Parents

The Short Answer

A DBS check is a criminal record check. For anyone teaching children, the right level is an Enhanced check with the children's barred list. Private tutors in England and Wales are not legally required to have one, but since 21 January 2026 self-employed tutors can apply for one themselves through a DBS umbrella body. You are entitled to ask a tutor whether they have one and whether they will show it to you. A DBS check is useful, but it is only one part of keeping your child safe. How lessons are set up matters just as much.

What Is an Enhanced DBS Check With Barred List?

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) issues criminal record checks in England and Wales. There are four levels: Basic, Standard, Enhanced, and Enhanced with barred list(s). The Enhanced check with the children's barred list shows:

Unspent convictions and cautions.
Some spent convictions and cautions, under filtering rules. Serious and specified offences always appear.
Relevant information held by local police, if the police decide it should be included. This can include information that did not lead to a conviction.
Whether the person is on the children's barred list. People on this list are barred from certain work with children.

A Basic check only shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions. It is much less useful for someone working with children.

Do Private Tutors Have to Have One?

No. Schools must check their staff, but a self-employed tutor working privately for a family has no legal requirement to hold a DBS check. Private tuition is also generally not inspected or overseen by a regulator, as the Department for Education's guidance for parents points out.

Until January 2026, there was a further problem. A self-employed tutor could only get a Basic check by themselves. An Enhanced check needed an employer or agency to apply. That changed on 21 January 2026. Self-employed people and personal employees in eligible roles, including tutors, can now apply for an Enhanced check, with barred list where eligible, through a registered DBS umbrella body. The usual DBS fee applies, and umbrella bodies may add their own admin fee.

You cannot apply for a check on a tutor's behalf. The tutor applies themselves. The certificate belongs to them, and it is their choice whether to share it. If you are a tutor reading this, our DBS checks guide for tutors walks through the steps.

How to Ask to See a Certificate

DBS's own guide for parents suggests asking simply and early, before lessons start. Something like: "Do you have an Enhanced DBS certificate for work with children, and would you be happy to show it to me?"

When you see it, check:

The name and date of birth match the person in front of you. Ask to see photo ID.
The level is Enhanced, and the children's barred list was checked.
The workforce is the child workforce.
The date of issue. A certificate is accurate on the day it was issued. It has no official expiry date, but an old one tells you less.
It is the original. The guidance for private individuals says to see the original certificate. Copies and photos are not acceptable for checking.

The DBS Update Service

Many tutors subscribe to the DBS Update Service. It keeps their certificate up to date and lets an employer check, online and free, whether anything new has been added since it was issued. A status check needs the tutor's permission, their certificate number, their name and date of birth, and the original certificate seen in person.

The status check is designed for employers: you must be legally entitled to make it and have the tutor's permission. If you are not sure that applies to you as a parent, the simple route is to see the original certificate and ask the tutor whether they subscribe to the Update Service. A tutor who does, and is happy to say so, is a good sign.

What a DBS Check Does Not Cover

It is a snapshot. A certificate shows records on the day it was issued, unless it is on the Update Service.
It only covers records the DBS can see. Someone who has never been caught or reported will have a clear check.
It does not judge teaching quality or behaviour. It says nothing about whether a tutor is professional, reliable or a good teacher.
It does not cover other countries. The DBS cannot access criminal records held overseas.

DBS's own guidance says a certificate should be weighed alongside references, qualifications, experience and your own judgement. That is the right way to think about it.

Tutors Based Outside the UK

Online tutoring means your child's tutor could live anywhere. A UK DBS check only covers UK records. If a tutor lives abroad, or has lived abroad for long periods, ask for a police certificate (sometimes called a certificate of good conduct) from the country where they live. GOV.UK publishes country-by-country guidance on how these are obtained. Check the date and that the name matches their ID, as you would with a DBS certificate.

Practical Safety Steps for Every Family

These matter whatever checks a tutor has.

In-person lessons

Be at home for the first lesson, and ideally stay nearby for the first few.
Hold lessons in a shared room such as the kitchen or living room, not a bedroom. Keep the door open.
Make sure another adult is in the house during lessons.
If your child goes to the tutor's home, visit first and ask who else is present.

Online lessons

Set up the device in a shared space, not a bedroom.
Use a platform where you hold the account or the meeting link, or at least know which one is used.
Ask whether lessons are recorded, who keeps the recordings, and for how long.
Expect the tutor to keep their camera on and to appear in a suitable setting.

Communication

All arrangements go through you: times, changes, payments and feedback.
If the tutor needs to message your child, for example to send homework, agree how. A group chat with a parent in it, or email copied to you, works well.
No private social media contact between the tutor and your child.

Trust your child

Ask your child, regularly and casually, how lessons are going. Make sure they know they can tell you if anything makes them uncomfortable, and that they will not be in trouble for doing so. If something feels wrong, stop the lessons first and ask questions afterwards.

The Bottom Line

Ask for an Enhanced DBS certificate with the children's barred list, and check it properly. For tutors abroad, ask for a police certificate from their country. Then keep lessons visible, keep contact through you, and keep talking to your child. A certificate gives reassurance. Good habits give protection.