A Client Has Asked to See Your DBS Certificate. Here's What to Do.
If you're self-employed and work with children or vulnerable adults, you should expect this question more often from now on.
On 17 September 2026, the Disclosure and Barring Service launched a public awareness campaign called Every Check Helps. It's aimed squarely at parents and carers hiring people like you, and its message is direct: they can get a DBS check, and you can ask to see it.
DBS found that a lot of families didn't know eligible self-employed workers could get an Enhanced check, and that many felt too awkward to ask. The campaign exists to remove that awkwardness. Which means tutors, coaches, music teachers, personal assistants and carers are going to be asked, by more clients, more confidently, than before.
This article isn't about how to get a check. (If that's what you need, start with our guide to DBS checks for self-employed people.) It's about what happens afterwards: how to handle the conversation, what a client is being told to look for, and the practical details that catch people out.
First: the certificate is yours
Your DBS certificate belongs to you. Whether you share it is your decision, and the GOV.UK guidance is explicit with parents on that point.
But it's worth being realistic about how a refusal reads. The guidance tells parents that if you decline, they should weigh up what other information they have before deciding whether to proceed. In a competitive market, where the tutor down the road is happy to show theirs, "no" is a decision with consequences.
Most people in this position aren't refusing on principle anyway. They're either unsure what's appropriate to share, or they haven't got a certificate yet.
What your client is being told to check
Knowing the checklist in advance makes the conversation much easier, because you can head off the problems before they come up. Here's what the official guidance asks parents and carers to look at.
1. That it's the original
This is the big one, and it surprises people.
Copies and photographs are not acceptable, and clients are told to reject them. A DBS certificate carries security features that only work on the physical document, which is the whole point.
In practice this means: don't email a scan, don't send a photo on WhatsApp, and don't assume a PDF will do. You need to show the paper certificate in person. Keep it somewhere safe and accessible rather than filed away at your parents' house, because a client who's ready to book now won't necessarily wait a fortnight.
If meeting in person is impractical, the Update Service is the answer. More on that below.
2. That the name matches you
Clients are advised to check your details against the certificate, ideally alongside government-issued photo ID such as a passport or driving licence. Have one handy.
If your name has changed since your certificate was issued, through marriage or otherwise, bring the documentation that bridges the two. It's a completely normal situation, but it's much smoother if you're ready for it rather than explaining on the spot.
3. That it's for the right workforce
This one catches out people who already hold a certificate from previous work, and it's the most common reason a perfectly genuine certificate fails to reassure anyone.
Clients are told to look at the "position applied for" field and check it matches the work. If you'll be working with someone's child, they're expecting to see wording along the lines of "child workforce". A certificate issued for work with adults doesn't answer the question, and nor does one issued for an unrelated role.
So if you've moved into a different type of work, or you're doing both, your existing certificate may not cover what you're now being asked about. Worth checking before a client points it out.
4. The issue date
DBS certificates don't expire. They're accurate on the day they're issued, and that's it.
Clients are advised to take the issue date into account, which means an older certificate carries less weight even though it's perfectly valid. Again, the Update Service is what fixes this.
5. Whether you're on the Update Service
Which brings us to the thing that solves three of the four problems above.
Why the Update Service does most of the work
The DBS Update Service is an annual subscription (currently £16) that keeps your certificate information current online. If you're subscribed, a client can run a free, instant status check to confirm nothing has changed since your certificate was issued.
From your side, that means:
No in-person meeting needed just to prove you're checked
The issue date stops mattering so much, because the status check confirms the information is still current
One certificate covers multiple clients, as long as the work is the same type and level
You're not reapplying every time a new client asks
Clients running a status check need your consent, and they need to be entitled to see that level of check. One small thing that confuses private clients: the status check form asks for an organisation name, and someone hiring you as a private individual should enter "private employer". If they get stuck on that field, that's the answer.
You have to register yourself. An umbrella body can't do it for you, and there's a deadline: you can sign up using your application e-reference number while the check is in progress, or your certificate number within 30 days of it being issued. Miss that window and you'll need a fresh check to join. It's the single easiest thing to get wrong, and it costs you the whole benefit.
"Can you just sort the check out for me?"
Some clients will offer. They can't.
Private individuals cannot apply for a DBS check on someone else's behalf. If you're eligible, you have to apply yourself through a DBS Umbrella Body. There's no arrangement where a parent organises it for you, and anyone telling you otherwise has misunderstood how it works.
The flip side is that it's entirely in your hands. You don't need a client's permission, sponsorship or involvement to get checked.
What to say if you haven't got one
Three common situations, and none of them needs to lose you the work if you handle it well.
You don't have a certificate. Say so plainly and say what you're doing about it. "I don't have one yet — I'm applying this week and I'll share it as soon as it arrives" is a far better answer than a vague one. The change only came in this January, so nobody reasonable will be shocked.
You've applied and you're waiting. Tell them where you are in the process. Enhanced checks take longer than other levels and certificates arrive by post, so there's a genuine wait involved. Clients are specifically advised to discuss timings with you rather than write you off.
You're not eligible. Not all work qualifies, and eligibility depends on the activity and who it involves, not on job titles. If you're not eligible for an Enhanced check, say that clearly and point to what you can offer instead: references, qualifications, insurance, experience, a Basic check where appropriate. "I can't get one for this type of work, here's what I can show you" is an honest and confident answer.
If there's something on your certificate
If your certificate includes disclosed information, the guidance clients receive is more balanced than you might expect.
Parents and private clients are advised that applicants should be treated fairly and not discriminated against unfairly on the basis of a conviction, caution or other disclosed information. DBS recommends open, measured discussion rather than an automatic rejection, and makes clear that a certificate is not a pass or fail test. It sits alongside your references, qualifications, experience and the client's own judgement.
Being ready to talk about it calmly, in your own words, and before they've had to ask, tends to go considerably better than letting them read it cold. Organisations including Nacro and Unlock offer advice for people navigating these conversations.
Two things a client shouldn't do
Worth knowing, so you can mention it politely if it comes up.
They shouldn't keep a copy. No photocopies, no photographs, no written record of the contents. If someone asks to take a picture "for their records", it's reasonable to say no, and the guidance backs you up.
They shouldn't pass it on. Certificate information is for their specific decision about your suitability for that role. It isn't theirs to share with other parents, a WhatsApp group or anyone else.
Treat it as a selling point, not an interrogation
It's easy to read this question as suspicion. It isn't. Parents are being actively encouraged to ask, by the government, as a normal part of choosing who works with their family.
Which makes it an opportunity. Offering your certificate before anyone asks signals that you take the responsibility seriously, and it puts you ahead of everyone who gets flustered by the question. A tutor who says "here's my Enhanced certificate, and I'm on the Update Service if you'd like to run a status check" has answered a question the client was nervous about raising, and looked thoroughly professional doing it.
Every check helps. It just helps you as well.
Not checked yet?
MyCheck is a DBS service built specifically for self-employed people, sole traders and personal employees. Check your eligibility, apply entirely online, and be ready the next time a client asks. Get started at www.mycheck.co.uk.