What is a disclosure?
A Disclosure is a document containing impartial and confidential criminal history information held by the police and government departments which can be used by employers to make safer recruitment decisions.
Disclosure information could include:
- Details of criminal records
- Information about a persons inclusion on children's or adults' lists
- Other relevant information held by a local police force or Government Body
- Or state that there is no information
The information included on the document will depend on the type of disclosure applied for.
See our Glossary for definitions of terms used
Types of disclosure
- Basic Disclosure contains only convictions considered unspent under The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
- Standard Disclosure contains all conviction information, spent and unspent, including cautions.
- Enhanced Disclosure contains all conviction information, spent and unspent, and any other non conviction information considered to be relevant by the police or other Government bodies.
Information Included
The information included in the disclosure will depend on the type of disclosure applied for.
Information included |
Type of disclosure |
||
|---|---|---|---|
Basic |
Standard |
Enhanced |
|
Unspent convictions |
|
|
|
Spent convictions |
|
|
|
Cautions |
|
|
|
Inclusion on children's' lists |
|
|
|
| Inclusion on adults' lists |  |
|
 |
Other relevant information held by police forces |
|
|
|
Who can apply for disclosure?
Anyone can apply for a basic disclosure in their own name. This might be requested for a new job, volunteer work or to support a visa application.
Some employers and organisations can also apply for a standard or enhanced disclosure for a potential new employee or a volunteer position. There is legislation available to employers and other organisations to determine what type of disclosure is required for a particular position (details available on our Publications page).
Apply for a disclosure
Apply for a basic disclosure in your own name
Apply for a disclosure for a potential new employee or volunteer
