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DBS Rules are changing from 1 September 2026: What Lacrosse organisations need to know

England Lacrosse is committed to maintaining strong safeguarding standards and creating a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for everyone involved in lacrosse.

The legal definition of regulated activity with children will change on 1 September 2026. The change may affect some volunteer assistant coaches, trainee coaches, junior leaders and other people who regularly work with children under supervision.

Clubs, schools and universities should begin reviewing relevant roles now and allow sufficient time for any required Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks to be completed.

What is changing?

The change removes the current supervision exemption for certain volunteers working with children.

At present, a volunteer who teaches, trains, instructs, cares for or supervises children may not be undertaking regulated activity if they are supervised in accordance with the relevant statutory guidance.

From 1 September 2026, that supervision will no longer prevent the activity from being regulated activity when the volunteer:

  • teaches, trains, instructs, cares for or supervises children; and

  • carries out that activity on more than three days in any 30-day period; or

  • carries it out overnight between 2am and 6am, with the opportunity for face-to-face contact with children.

Where these conditions are met, the individual will be undertaking regulated activity with children and will be eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with Children’s Barred List information.

The minimum age for a DBS check is 16.

Who is most likely to be affected in lacrosse?

The change is most likely to affect volunteers aged 16 or over who regularly help to deliver junior lacrosse activity while supervised, including:

  • Volunteer assistant coaches

  • Trainee or developing coaches

  • Student coaches

  • Junior leaders aged 16 or 17

  • Regular volunteers who deliver drills or instruction

  • Volunteers who regularly care for or supervise children

  • Volunteers supporting residential camps or overnight tours

Eligibility depends on the activities someone performs and how frequently they perform them, not their role title.

What should clubs, schools and universities do?

Before 1 September 2026, organisations should:

  1. Identify volunteers who teach, train, instruct, care for or supervise children.

  2. Record how frequently each person undertakes those activities.

  3. Identify anyone involved in overnight camps, tours or other residential activity.

  4. Review whether each role will become regulated activity under the new definition.

  5. Arrange the appropriate DBS check through the approved process where required.

  6. Review role descriptions, recruitment procedures and safeguarding records.

  7. Contact England Lacrosse if the eligibility of a particular role is unclear.

Organisations should assess the complete duties of each person. Someone described as a “parent helper”, for example, may be undertaking regulated activity if they regularly deliver coaching or supervise children.

Examples in lacrosse

Regular volunteer assistant coach

A 17-year-old volunteer helps deliver a junior training session every Wednesday under the supervision of a qualified coach.

The volunteer is instructing children on more than three days within a 30-day period.

From 1 September 2026: the role is likely to be regulated activity and eligible for an Enhanced DBS check with Children’s Barred List information.

One-off registration volunteer

A parent helps at the registration desk during a junior tournament on one day. They do not coach, care for or supervise children.

Position: the parent is not undertaking regulated activity solely through these duties.

Occasional player mentor

An adult player demonstrates a drill at one junior session but does not regularly coach or supervise participants.

Position: the frequency condition is unlikely to be met on this activity alone. The organisation should nevertheless consider the person’s complete duties and any similar activity undertaken elsewhere.

Regular parent helper

A parent begins as an occasional helper but subsequently delivers drills at junior training every week.

From 1 September 2026: the role is likely to be regulated activity because the individual regularly instructs children. The fact that they are called a “parent helper” does not change the assessment.

Residential camp or overnight tour

A volunteer supervises children during a residential lacrosse camp and has the opportunity for face-to-face contact between 2am and 6am.

From 1 September 2026: the overnight condition may be met, meaning the role is likely to be regulated activity.

University student delivering junior outreach

A university student regularly delivers coaching sessions to children across several schools or community settings.

From 1 September 2026: the activity may be regulated activity if it takes place on more than three days in a 30-day period. Activity across different settings may count towards the frequency condition.

What about players training together?

Pairing an adult and junior player for practice does not, by itself, mean that the adult is undertaking regulated activity.

However, the position may change if the adult moves beyond participating and begins regularly teaching, training, instructing, caring for or supervising children.

Coaches should continue to organise training appropriately and ensure suitable supervision and safeguarding arrangements are in place.

What about parents helping at sessions?

Parents assisting with occasional non-coaching duties will not normally be undertaking regulated activity solely because they:

  • Prepare refreshments

  • Collect fees or payments

  • Help at a registration desk

  • Distribute equipment

  • Provide general event or administrative support

The position should be reassessed if the person’s duties expand to include regular coaching, instruction, care or supervision of children.

England Lacrosse coaching and safeguarding requirements

Everyone delivering lacrosse activity should meet the relevant England Lacrosse qualification, safeguarding, registration and safer-recruitment requirements for their role.

A DBS certificate does not have a formal expiry date. Organisations should therefore avoid referring to a certificate as “valid” or “in date”. Instead, they should confirm that:

  • the correct level and type of check was obtained for the role;

  • the person’s identity and original certificate were checked appropriately;

  • any required Update Service status check has been completed with the individual’s consent; and

  • England Lacrosse and organisational rechecking requirements have been followed.

The DBS check is one part of safer recruitment and should be used alongside appropriate applications, references, role descriptions, interviews, training and ongoing supervision.

Apply as early as possible

DBS applications can take time to process. Clubs and other organisations should identify affected roles and begin the appropriate process as early as possible.

Statutory DBS fees are waived for eligible volunteers, although the organisation processing an application may charge an administration fee.

Individuals should not begin undertaking regulated activity until the organisation is satisfied that all required safeguarding and safer-recruitment procedures have been completed.

A note about barred individuals

From 1 September 2026, a person barred from working with children must not undertake a volunteer role that falls within the revised definition of regulated activity.

It is an offence for a barred person to undertake regulated activity. It is also an offence for an organisation to knowingly permit a barred person to do so.

Clubs, schools and universities must ensure that people entering regulated activity have been checked through the appropriate process.

Key message

The practical questions to ask are:

Does this person teach, train, instruct, care for or supervise children?

And, if so:

Do they perform that activity on more than three days in any 30-day period, or overnight between 2am and 6am with an opportunity for face-to-face contact?

If the answer to both questions is yes, the role is likely to be regulated activity from 1 September 2026 and should be assessed for an Enhanced DBS check with Children’s Barred List information.

England Lacrosse will continue to review the implications of the change and update its guidance, policies and processes where necessary.

Further information

If you have questions about the requirements for a particular lacrosse role, contact the England Lacrosse Safeguarding Team at [email protected].