Government will not review DBS check requirements yet

The government will not be looking at reviewing DBS checks as a result of fresh allegations of child sex abuse in football, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley has said.

Mrs Bradley was asked whether the government would consider looking into the "loophole" whereby some people who work with children do not need DBS checks, when she said it would not do so initially.

DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks ensure that people with criminal records are not allowed to work with vulnerable people including children.

There is currently no requirement for volunteer football coaches to have a DBS check if they are being supervised by someone in a regulated activity.

However, Mrs Bradley stressed that DBS checks are required if people are being left alone with children, and that it will be looked at if enquiries show that this was an area which could have prevented abuse.