Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is expanding its Faith in Safeguarding campaign with free pop-up clinics across England.
Following a successful pilot in the South East of England in autumn 2025, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is expanding its Faith in Safeguarding campaign nationally. The campaign raises awareness of the legal duty to refer - the process organisations must follow by law when there are safeguarding concerns about individuals in regulated activity.
Faith organisations are currently among the lower-referring sectors for barring referrals to DBS, despite the thousands of people working and volunteering in regulated activity roles across churches, mosques, gurdwaras, mandirs, synagogues, and faith charities. This suggests many organisations may be unaware of their legal obligations under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
This campaign aims to close that gap by increasing understanding of when referrals must be made, how the process works, and why it matters.
DBS will be hosting free, in-person pop-up clinics across England this spring, offering practical guidance tailored to faith settings. Each session will include:
Further sessions in Wales and Northern Ireland will be confirmed at a later date.
All sessions are free to attend. To register, visit the DBS Eventbrite page to secure your place.
These sessions are open to anyone with safeguarding responsibilities in a faith setting, including:
To support organisations, DBS has published a range of materials on GOV.UK, including:
For any questions, or if you require more information, contact your DBS Regional Outreach Adviser.
Follow the campaign on DBS social media and use the hashtags: #FaithInSafeguarding #DutyToRefer
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dbs-expands-faith-in-safeguarding-campaign-nationally