Strictly speaking, a Disclosure and Barring Service certificate never carries the word fail. The document simply reports information; it is an employer who decides whether that information rules you out.
Even so, certain findings on a 2025 certificate almost always lead to a job offer being withdrawn, especially where the post involves children, vulnerable adults, money, or security‑sensitive data. Below are the main issues hiring panels and regulators flag most often.
Current placement on a barred list
The DBS keeps two statutory barred lists - one for child‑related roles, one for adult‑care roles. If your name appears on the relevant list, an organisation must refuse or terminate employment in regulated activity, with no scope for discretion.
Barred‑list status results from earlier safeguarding findings, and will show on an Enhanced certificate requested for the new role, if done with a barred list check.
Recent, job‑relevant convictions
A conviction may be “spent” under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, yet still disclosed on Standard or Enhanced checks if it is considered relevant.
In 2025, the DBS filtering rules exclude a wider range of old, minor offences, but recent convictions involving violence, sexual misconduct, fraud, or drug trafficking remain visible and usually prove incompatible with a lot of roles.
If you’re unsure as to how these regulations work as an employer, it can be helpful to work with a company like Personnel Checks for further clarification.
Ongoing police investigation or “soft intelligence”
Enhanced certificates can include local‑force information when a senior officer believes it is necessary to protect the public. Examples include ongoing investigations, multiple unprosecuted allegations, or restraining orders. Employers treat such disclosures seriously, because they signal risk even in the absence of a conviction.
Disqualification under other regulations
Some sectors layer their own legal bars on top of DBS findings. A person struck off by the Teaching Regulation Agency, suspended by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, or banned as a company director may be deemed unsuitable even if the criminal record is technically clean.
These sanctions do not appear on Basic checks, but will surface during professional‑body clearance or Enhanced vetting.
Multiple unexplained inconsistencies
Occasionally, a certificate shows no offences at all, but the process still collapses because dates of employment, qualifications, or referees contradict each other. When inconsistencies persist after reasonable questioning, employers can infer dishonesty, which is itself grounds for refusal in roles requiring trust.
Some important notes
First of all, you cannot appeal the contents of a certificate unless factual errors exist; appeals go via the DBS’s “certificate dispute” channel. That being said, employers must follow a fair process: share the disclosure with you, invite an explanation, and document the final decision.
Mitigation sometimes works. Older convictions, clear rehabilitation steps, or evidence the role poses no similar risk can persuade a panel to proceed.
Failing a DBS check in 2025 usually means one of two things: being legally barred, or carrying information so close to the role’s core duties that the organisation cannot justify the hire. Know the role’s risk profile, prepare to explain any past trouble, and ensure your identity documents line up before the application goes in.
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