Accessible documents policy

This statement details the accessibility of the content published by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

This statement covers content published by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) on GOV.UK, including PDFs, spreadsheets, presentations and other types of document. It does not cover content published as HTML, as this covered by the central GOV.UK accessibility statement.

Using our documents

DBS publishes documents in a range of formats, including:

  • PDF and PDF forms
  • Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel
  • ODT (OpenDocument Text) and ODS (OpenDocument Spreadsheet)
  • CSV (Comma-Separated Values)

We want as many people as possible to be able to use these documents. When we produce a document, we make sure to:

  • provide a plain text webpage (‘HTML’) option where possible
  • tag headings and other parts of the document properly, so screen readers can understand the page structure
  • make sure we include alt text alongside non-decorative images, so people who cannot see them understand what they’re there for
  • avoid using tablets, except when presenting data
  • write in plain English

How accessible our documents are

Documents should be accessible if they:

  • were published after 23 September 2018
  • are required to access our services (regardless of when published)

All new documents we publish, and those required to access our services are now accessible, and have been tested.

We know that some of our older documents (published before 23 September 2018) are not accessible. For example, some of them:

  • are in a print format and aren’t marked up in a way that allows screen reader users to understand them
  • aren’t tagged properly – for example, they don’t contain proper headings

This mostly applies to corporate reports, forms and statistics. We are planning to make as many of our documents as accessible as possible, but in the meantime, please contact us and ask for an accessible format.

Note, some historic documents are not essential to our services, and are therefore exempt from the accessibility regulations.

What to do if you can’t use one of our documents

If you need a document we’ve published in a different format, please contact us via:

Communications Team
Disclosure and Barring Service
PO 165
Liverpool
L69 3JD

As part of providing documents in a different format, we will need to send you messages or documents. Please tell us how you want us to send these to you, and tell us if you need them in a different format, such as large print, braille, or audio recording.

Reporting accessibility problems with one of our documents

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our documents. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page, or you think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us via:

Communications Team
Disclosure and Barring Service
PO 165
Liverpool
L69 3JD

Enforcement procedure

In England, Wales and Scotland, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Website and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to any complaint or query you may submit, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

In Northern Ireland, the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Website and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to any complaint or query you may submit, contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

Technical information about the accessibility of our documents

DBS is committed to making our documents accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

The documents that DBS publishes are now compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard. There are a number of pages and documents that are not compliant, but fall outside of the scope of the accessibility regulations.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Some of our documents, produced prior to 23 September 2018, are not properly tagged or do not use accessible headings or structures. This means that they do not meet the success criteria for navigation set out in standard 2.4.6 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA.

The accessibility regulations don’t require us to fix PDFs or other documents published prior to 23 September 2018, if they aren’t essential to providing our services. We don’t plan to fix:

  • non-statutory guidance that doesn’t relate to the provision of a service
  • consultation responses
  • policy papers
  • corporate reports
  • correspondence
  • research and statistics
  • transparency data
  • Freedom of Information releases

Any new documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.

You can request details of any information excluded from the scope of the regulations by contacting us via:

Communications Team
Disclosure and Barring Service
PO 165
Liverpool
L69 3JD

How we tested our documents

We last tested a sample of our documents in September 2020. The test was carried out by the DBS Communications team.

We tested:

  • PDF, Word, Excel, and ODT documents

We decided to test these types of document, as aside from HTML, these are the most commonly used formats In DBS. We tested these documents based on how often people access them, and how relevant they are to the services we provide.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We’re improving accessibility by carrying out accessibility checks on all new documents and publications.

We are training staff to create accessible documents to ensure that all DBS publications and documents meet the accessibility requirements in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (2.1).

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