Mandatory reporting of sexual abuse

The UK Government has introduced a new legal duty to report child sexual abuse, which is expected to come into force in May 2027. The aim is to stop missed opportunities to protect children, create clear accountability and to increase reporting. These changes come through the Crime and Policing Act/Bill (2025–2026). 

It will be a criminal offence to:

• fail to report when required
• prevent or discourage someone else from reporting

DBS Update

The government will remove the “supervision” exemption from regulated activity. These DBS changes are being rolled out now but will take time to embed. The change will make more roles eligible for enhanced DBS + barred lists checks, prevent reliance on supervision alone and make safer recruitment practice more consistent.

Previously if someone worked with children, but was supervised, they might not be in regulated activity or need a barred list check.

Now supervised roles will be treated the same as unsupervised roles, which means many more roles, such as assistant coaches, volunteer supervisors and regular helpers, will be eligible for enhanced DBS + barred list checks. 

To prepare for these changes

The NSPCC Sport recommends:

• reviewing your reporting and safer recruitment procedures
• making sure all relevant staff and volunteers feel confident with what the changes mean for safeguarding practice
• share relevant training and development opportunities

The NSPCC have developed two factsheets to provide more details on the changes.