when did dbs checks start

DBS checks, in their current form, started when the Disclosure and Barring Service was created in 2012 and began operating around late 2012–2013, replacing the old CRB checks system.

Quick timeline (UK criminal record checks)

• Late 1990s: Government moves toward mandatory criminal record checks for people working with children, driven by safeguarding concerns.

• 1999: Protection of Children Act 1999 lays key groundwork for formal checks on those working with children.

• 2002: Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) is launched to handle standardised criminal record checks for employers, especially for roles with children and vulnerable adults.

• 2012: CRB merges with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) to form the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

• Dec 2012–2013: DBS begins operations and DBS checks replace CRB checks; from then on, they are commonly called DBS checks.

So if you’re asking “when did DBS checks start?” in the strict sense (using the DBS name), the answer is from the DBS launch in 2012 with checks effectively running from late 2012/2013 onward.

Mini FAQ

• Were there checks before DBS?
  Yes. Before DBS, employers requested CRB checks via the Criminal Records Bureau from 2002 to 2012.

• Why change from CRB to DBS?
  The merger into DBS was meant to streamline safeguarding, bringing together criminal record checking (CRB) and barring decisions (ISA) into a single body.

TL;DR:

• Background check framework grows in the late 1990s.

• CRB checks: 2002–2012.

• DBS checks (by that name): from 2012/2013 to now.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.