DBS

England Athletics and UK Athletics take our responsibilities towards the welfare of young people and adults at risk* in athletics and running very seriously and require everyone in the sport who has frequent contact with children to have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. 

From October 2026, England Athletics will work with First Advantage, a specialist third-party provider, to manage DBS checks on our behalf. 

Who needs a DBS check?

Anyone with a role in the sport who has frequent (more than three days within any 30-day period) contact with children or is involved with any activity on an overnight stay.

This could be in a coaching role or any general club volunteer role: 

• Licensed Technical Officials  

• Licensed Coaches who work with under 18s  

• Licensed Leaders in Running Fitness and Guide Runners who work with under 18s  

• Club Welfare Officers  

• Team Managers  

• Club Chairs  

• Club Secretaries  

• Coaching Coordinators  

• Committee Members  

• Helpers  

• Membership Secretaries  

• Mental Health Champions  

• Officials Coordinators  

• Parent / Volunteer helpers   

Licensed coaches, leaders or guide runners who only work with adults will be required to accept a self-declaration statement in order to obtain and renew their licence.

How do I get a DBS check?

All DBS applications are accessed through myAthletics portal.

You simply need to log into the portal and go to your coach or officials licence checker if you are a leader, coach or technical official. Anyone with other roles in the sport accesses their DBS via their profile page.

For a more detailed guide of how to access and apply for your DBS see our user guide here.

Key steps in the DBS process:

• Access your DBS check via myAthletics Portal 
• Create a First Advantage Account 
• Give your consent 
• Verify your ID – digital or in person via the Post Office 
• Complete the Application  
• Wait for your result 
• Your profile on myAtheltics portal will automatically be updated once your check is complete  

DBS fees

DBS checks are free for licensed leaders, coaches guide runners and technical officials. They are also free for club Welfare Officers. Other roles will need to pay a processing fee and a fee to have their ID’s checked. Licensed coaches in a paid role will need to pay the processing fee, the ID check fee and an additional DBS check fee. A breakdown of costs can be seen below: 

Role type	DBS required?	Cost to applicant
Licensed Coaches	Yes (if working with under 18’s)	Free (funded by England Athletics)*
LiRF Leaders	Yes (if working with under 18’s)	Free (funded by England Athletics)*
Technical Officials	Yes	Free (funded by England Athletics)*
Club Welfare Officers	Yes	Free (funded by England Athletics)*
Licensed Guide Runners	Yes (if working with under 18’s)	Free (funded by England Athletics)*
Club Chairs, Secretaries, Committee Members, Team Managers, Helpers and other club volunteer roles	Yes (if undertaking regulated activity)	£11.77 (£7.10 processing + £2.71 digital ID + £1.96 VAT)
Paid or Self-Employed Coaches	Yes	£50.81 (£41 DBS + £7.10 processing + £2.71 digital ID)
Adult-Only Club Volunteers	No DBS required (except some licensed coaching and officiating roles)	N/A

Further information

*there are specific requirements for anyone needing a DBS check when working with adults at risk. For more information on this see our FAQs or contact us at DBS@englandathletics.org 

If you have a query regarding accessing your myAthletics portal profile please contact Membership Services via the Contact Us page on this website.