Safeguarding is being strengthened, and it matters for everyone working with children in sport and physical activity settings. These changes come through the Crime and Policing Act/Bill (2025–2026).
New laws will make reporting child sexual abuse a legal duty, while changes to DBS rules mean more roles will be eligible for higher level of DBS checks.
Duty to report child 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.
What the duty means for designated safeguarding leads (DSL)
Anyone in relevant activity with children must report if they:
- are told about abuse (by a child or someone else)
- witness abuse
- see or hear evidence (for example, images, videos, audio)
Reports must be made as soon as reasonably possible to police or children's services.
Only one report must be made for each disclosed incident. This means, for example, that club welfare officers can refer the incident to the DSL for an onward report to be made to the local authority or the police in the area in which the child lives. Or anyone can report directly.
It will be a criminal offence to:
- fail to report when required
- prevent or discourage someone else from reporting
Professionals who don’t report could also be referred to the DBS (affecting future work with children).
You don't have to be sure or have proof to report abuse. If you need advice, contact the NSPCC Helpline at help@nspcc.org.uk or 0808 800 5000.
DBS update on supervision
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.
What that means for sport and physical activity organisations
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.
What can you do now?
To prepare for these changes and put good practice in place, we recommend:
- 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
We have developed two factsheets to help you share this information with local clubs and colleagues.
Download factsheets on mandatory reporting and DBS changes (PDF)