DBS Checks are a necessary part of recruitment for many organisations – but not all roles are eligible for a Standard or Enhanced Check.
In this blog, we’ll look at DBS Check eligibility for hairdressers and salon staff.
What are the different types of DBS Check?
There are three different levels of DBS Check:
- Basic DBS Checks show any unspent convictions or conditional cautions the applicant has.
Basic Checks are available to anyone aged 16 or over for any position or purpose, and individuals can apply for one themselves
- Standard DBS Checks show any spent or unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings the applicant has.
Only specific professions, roles and activities are eligible for a Standard DBS Check. These roles are listed in the Standard DBS Check eligibility guidance here.
An employer must apply for a Standard DBS Check on behalf of employees – individuals cannot apply for one themselves
- Enhanced DBS Checks show the same information as Standard DBS Checks, as well as any relevant information held by the applicant’s local police force.
An Enhanced Disclosure may also include a check of the Children’s and/or Adults’ Barred Lists, depending on which group the individual is working with and whether the role is eligible.
If someone is included on these Barred Lists, it means that they must not carry out ‘regulated activity’ within the workforce they are barred from, and an employer must not employ them in that role.
Again, only specific professions, roles and activities are eligible for Enhanced Checks – see the Enhanced DBS Check eligibility guidance for more details. As with Standard Checks, only employers can apply for Enhanced Checks
Do hairdressers and salon staff need DBS Checks?
In general, hairdressers and salon staff don’t need DBS Checks as their roles don’t meet the eligibility criteria for Standard or Enhanced Checks.
All hairdressers and salon staff are eligible for a Basic Check, which is suitable for both employees and self-employed hairdressers. To carry out a Basic DBS Check, please click here.
What about hairdressers who work with children?
Hairdressers who work with children are not generally eligible for an Enhanced Check, because most children they work with will be accompanied by a parent or carer.
However, if a child under 18 visits a salon without parental supervision, the hairdresser is still only eligible for a Basic DBS Check. This is because the responsibility of care falls to the under 18’s parent or guardian.
Do hairdressers need a DBS Check if they work in care homes?
Certain roles and activities involving children and adults are classed as regulated activity and require an Enhanced DBS Check with a check of the relevant Barred List.
If a person has been barred from working with children and/or adults, they are not allowed to carry out regulated activity.
Regulated activity in relation to adults includes (but is not limited to):
- Physically assisting an adult with eating, drinking, going to the toilet, washing, dressing, oral care, or care of the skin, hair or nails
- Prompting an adult to do any of the above activities because they are unable to make the decision to do these things for themselves, and then supervising the adult doing them
- Providing training, instruction or advice and guidance to an adult on how to do the above activities
However, these activities are only classed as regulated activity if they are required to keep the adult healthy and safe. Hairdressing and beauty treatments done solely for cosmetic purposes are not included.
For example…
A hairdresser who visits a care home less frequently than once a week or three times a month, to provide haircuts to any residents for beauty or cosmetic purposes, would not be in regulated activity.
This is because they would only be providing haircuts to those who want them, not those who need them for healthcare reasons. In this scenario, the hairdresser would only be eligible for a Basic Check.
However, if they were visiting the care home once a week or three or more times a month they would be entitled to an Enhanced DBS Check without a check of the Adults’ Barred List.
If a hairdresser visited a care home or hospital to cut a resident or patient’s hair or provide them other treatment needed for healthcare reasons, then the hairdresser would be in regulated activity, and would be eligible for an Enhanced DBS Check with a check of the Adults’ Barred List.
We hope this blog has given you a good idea of whether hairdressers and salon staff need DBS Checks. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call – we’re always happy to chat.
