DBS FAQs for clubs, volunteers, coaches and officials

The supervision exemption has been removed. 

Previously, many volunteers working under the supervision of a licensed coach or another suitable adult were not considered to be undertaking regulated activity. 

From September 2026, supervision no longer removes a role from regulated activity where the person:

• Teaches children 
• Coaches children 
• Trains children 
• Instructs children 
• Cares for children 
• Supervises children 

and carries out that activity frequently.

For the purposes of the legislation, frequently means:

• More than three days within any 30-day period; or
• Any activity involving an overnight stay.

If either condition is met, the activity becomes regulated activity.

Regulated activity includes coaching, teaching, training, instructing, caring for or supervising children more than three times in a 30-day period, or on any overnight activity. This also applies to certain roles involving adults who need care and support.

 certain responsibilities for adults who need care and support. Individuals meeting this threshold require an Enhanced DBS check. 

Anyone volunteering at an Athletics or Running club with junior members is affected by the new legislation and will require an Enhanced DBS check if they meet the criteria outlined above. 

For an athletics club, a DBS check against the Adults barred list is generally only required where a role involves quite specific regulated activity with adults, such as providing personal care, healthcare, social work, or managing an adult’s affairs because of their age, illness or disability.  

Coaching, officiating, leading runs, or supporting adults with a disability does not usually make a role eligible for an adult workforce DBS check.  

DBS eligibility depends on the particular activities undertaken, not just contact with adults. 

Contact dbs@englandathletics.org if you need more info about this? 

If your DBS is still valid then no action is required – England Athletics will accept a UKA DBS Check. Once you are notified that your UKA DBS Check is due to expire you will need to obtain a Check through England Athletics. 

No – anyone volunteering or in a paid role at an adult only club would not require a DBS check.

The exception to this is for all Technical Officials, Welfare Officers and anyone with specific caring and support responsibilities for adults (see questions 3 and 4 above).

Yes – all paid roles are subject to the same legislation.

Activity across multiple organisations is counted together. If you coach, train, supervise or instruct children on more than three days in a 30-day period across different clubs, you may be undertaking regulated activity and require an Enhanced DBS check.

All volunteers helping on overnight activities become subject to the regulated activity provisions and will require an Enhanced DBS check. 

Usually not. A parent helping occasionally at: 

• A club fundraiser 

• A one-off event 

• A day trip 

• Registration desks 

• Refreshments 

would not normally meet the frequency threshold. 

• All licensed coaches, leaders, technical officials and guide runners should apply through the link in their coach or official licence checklist in the myAthletics portal.
• All other roles should apply through their profile in myAthletics portal. Clubs will need to ensure volunteers are assigned the appropriate role in the portal and the DBS application process will automatically be available.
• Individuals will need to follow a set of simple questions to determine whether a DBS check or Self Declaration is required for their role and whether or not the DBS check is paid for by England Athletics.
• Once the application process has been started through myAthletics portal you will be sent an email from First Advantage to complete your check through their platform. For more information and a step by step guide to the process click here.

A Club Welfare Officer is the club’s first point of contact for welfare and safeguarding concerns. They promote a safe and inclusive environment, support those raising concerns, respond to lower-level welfare and conduct issues. 

The Club Welfare Officer should work with the committee to ensure that anyone carrying out eligible roles within the club completes a DBS check where required and which roles are eligible.  However, the Club Welfare Officer does not make DBS eligibility decisions, carry out the checks themselves, or receive full DBS certificate details. Responsibility for determining eligibility and managing the DBS process rests with England Athletics. 

DBS verifiers no longer have a formal role to play in the DBS process. As with any new system or process some people will need help or support to work through it and we would encourage former DBS verifiers and Club Welfare Officers to support people working through the DBS application and ID verification process. 

No. England Athletics requires DBS checks to be completed through its own system to ensure checks are completed at the correct level and can be managed appropriately through our Welfare and Compliance team.

We no longer accept the DBS update service due to the additional costs and administration this service requires. This is under review currently and if our position changes we will communicate this at a later date. 

If any of your roles require a DBS check you will need to apply through the process outlined above. Your Coach or Officials Licence Checker or your Profile in myAthletics Portal will guide you to make the correct decision.  

Your coaching or officiating qualification will be recognised and valid across the UK. Each Home country has specific requirements for Police checking roles operating in sport. Before you can carry out your role in any other Home Country please contact the Home Country direct to find out the specific requirements for your role and the setting / environment in which you are due to operate. 

England Athletics will continue to pay all fees (other than a Post Office ID verification fee if required) connected to DBS checks for licensed coaching and officiating roles plus a number of other volunteer roles.  

Additional fees will be payable by the applicant for some volunteer roles and all paid coaching roles. For a breakdown of fees see below.  

EA-funded volunteer roles 

The following volunteer roles will be able to access a DBS check free of charge: 

• All Licensed Coaching roles (where DBS check is required) 

• Licensed Leaders in Running Fitness (where DBS check is required) 

• Licensed Technical Officials (Level 4 officials apply through UKA) 

• Club Welfare Officers 

• Licensed Guide Runners (where DBS check is required) 

For anyone requiring in person ID verification a fee of £9.84 will be payable direct to the Post Office branch carrying out the verification process.  

The volunteer DBS certificate itself remains free, but the associated admin and processing fees connected to all checks must be paid by the applicant.  

• Club Chair 

• Club Secretary 

• Coaching Coordinator 

• Committee Member 

• Helper 

• Membership Secretary 

• Mental Health Champion 

• Officials Coordinator 

• Team Manager 

DBS checks are not free for anyone in a paid role that requires a check. Paid or self-employed coaches and coaches engaged directly by schools, trusts or facility operators must pay for their DBS checks. 

Reimbursement of genuine out-of-pocket expenses, such as travel or meals, does not make a volunteer official (or any volunteer role) a paid worker. However, if an individual receives payment beyond their reasonable expenses, they may no longer be considered a volunteer for DBS purposes.