Cleaners in schools, healthcare and care settings generally need an Enhanced DBS check; lower-risk office and commercial cleaning needs Basic or Standard. The Disclosure and Barring Service runs four levels of check for England and Wales — Basic, Standard, Enhanced, and Enhanced with Barred List — and the right level depends on the role, not the person.
The four levels of DBS check
A Basic check shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions and is available for any role. A Standard check shows spent and unspent convictions and cautions, for roles eligible under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act exceptions. An Enhanced check adds relevant local police information, for healthcare, childcare and regular contact with vulnerable groups. Enhanced with Barred List(s) adds a check of the Children's and/or Adults' Barred List, required for 'regulated activity' with those groups.
Which level does a cleaning role need?
Eligibility is role-based. Cleaners in schools, healthcare settings and care homes, or otherwise in regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults, generally require Enhanced (with the Barred List where the role is regulated activity). Standard or Basic apply to lower-risk office and commercial cleaning. You cannot simply pick a higher level — the role's duties and level of contact determine what is lawful and available.
Current DBS fees
DBS fees changed on 2 December 2024. A Basic or Standard check is £21.50, and an Enhanced check (with or without the Barred List) is £49.50. The DBS Update Service, which keeps a certificate current and portable, costs £16 a year. Standard and Enhanced checks are free for volunteers; the Basic fee is not waived. Umbrella or responsible bodies may add an administration fee.
DBS covers England and Wales only
The DBS processes checks for England and Wales (plus the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) — not Scotland or Northern Ireland. Scotland uses the PVG scheme run by Disclosure Scotland; Northern Ireland uses AccessNI. For a nationwide contract this matters: see our guide to Disclosure Scotland and AccessNI for cleaning. We describe our staff as DBS-checked (Disclosure Scotland / AccessNI in Scotland and Northern Ireland).
How Optus Glean UK vets its cleaners
Every operative is directly employed on PAYE and background-checked to the level the role requires before assignment — Enhanced for healthcare and care contracts, the appropriate level elsewhere. We keep the checks current, use the Update Service where suitable, and hold the records as part of the evidence a regulated buyer needs.
DBS check levels and fees for cleaners (from 2 December 2024)
| Level | What it shows | Fee | Typical cleaning use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Unspent convictions and conditional cautions | £21.50 | Lower-risk office / commercial cleaning |
| Standard | Spent and unspent convictions and cautions | £21.50 | Roles eligible under ROA exceptions |
| Enhanced | Standard plus relevant local police information | £49.50 | Healthcare, childcare, contact with vulnerable groups |
| Enhanced with Barred List | Enhanced plus Children's and/or Adults' Barred List | £49.50 | Regulated activity with children / vulnerable adults |
| Update Service | Keeps a certificate current and portable | £16 / year | Ongoing, portable checks |