1. Disclosure of Children’s Barred List Information

ACRO now includes Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) children’s barred list information as part of the ICPC where relevant. This change reduces the risk of employers and organisations overseas unknowingly employing someone who is barred by DBS from working in regulated activity with children.

Individuals are placed on the children’s barred list because they have either:

• a conviction for a serious sexual or violent offence held on the Police National Computer (PNC) or
• information on the Police National Database (PND) which indicates that they pose a high safeguarding risk.

This is information that ACRO and NCA have access to and would already be included on ICPCs. However, an individual being barred from working in regulated activity with children may be important information in its own right, particularly in the limited circumstances where DBS barred list information will be the only information about that individual held on police systems. This will now be disclosed on the ICPC to indicate that they are not suitable to work closely with children.

2. Removal of Step-Down Provisions

ACRO has also removed the Step-Down process from the ICPC. This means that all convictions will now be disclosed, regardless of age or outcome.

This change ensures that all potentially relevant criminal history is disclosed, which strengthens the overall safeguarding and child protection framework by ensuring international employers have full access to an applicant’s conviction history.