Disclosure Services
Disclosure Services is a UK-based DBS umbrella body providing Basic, Standard, and Enhanced criminal record checks to over 50,000 organisations across education, healthcare, charity, sports, and recruitment via an online portal and ATS/HR API.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersWrexham, North East Wales, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Disclosure Services does
Disclosure Services is a UK-based background screening specialist founded in 2002 by John and Caroline Clark to process Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) criminal record checks for employers. Operating as an authorised Umbrella Body for the UK government, the company provides Basic, Standard, and Enhanced DBS checks along with Disclosure Scotland checks, AccessNI checks, and Adult First checks, serving over 50,000 organisations across education, healthcare, charity, sports, and recruitment sectors. Its technology stack comprises an online client portal for application submission and real-time tracking, plus an API layer enabling integration with applicant tracking systems (ATS) and HR platforms so customers can submit checks without leaving their existing recruitment workflows. Its revenue model is transaction-based: organisations pay per check (typically £35 inc. VAT for Basic/Standard and £52 inc. VAT for Enhanced), with volume-based discounts for high-throughput customers and admin fees layered on top of statutory DBS certificate fees.
The company was led by CEO Paul Barlow from around 2018 and grew rapidly, processing its 2 millionth application by March 2020 less than three years after its 1 millionth. In January 2023, Disclosure Services was acquired by The Citation Group, a UK and Australia-headquartered compliance and quality services provider, with the stated goal of integrating the business with uCheck (a sibling Citation Group background screening company) to build the UK's leading background screening platform. The company is headquartered in Wrexham, North Wales, with a registered office in Wilmslow, and currently employs approximately 18 people (down from 35 in 2019), reflecting post-acquisition consolidation under the Citation Group umbrella.
Disclosure Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Disclosure Services
- Legal name
- Disclosure Services Ltd.
- Website
- https://disclosureservices.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Disclosure Services is a UK-based DBS umbrella body providing Basic, Standard, and Enhanced criminal record checks to over 50,000 organisations across education, healthcare, charity, sports, and recruitment via an online portal and ATS/HR API.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Disclosure Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Background Screening Services
- NAICS
- Credit Bureaus (56145)
- SIC
- Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regulatory Reporting & Recordkeeping (AML/CTF) (FSAMAMAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Data Security & Privacy Services (DLP, Encryption, Privacy Ops) (BPAKAHAM)
Keywords
Where Disclosure Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wrexham, North East Wales
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Disclosure Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- DBS Check Processing Fees: Transaction-based revenue model where the company charges organisations a fee for each DBS check processed. Admin fees are charged on top of the DBS certificate fees set by the government body.
- Volume-Based Pricing: Volume-based model where organisations processing a significant number of applications per year receive discounted rates.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Basic DBS Check |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard DBS Check |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Enhanced DBS Check |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Disclosure Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Disclosure Services provides UK organisations with Basic, Standard, and Enhanced DBS checks, Disclosure Scotland checks, and Adult First checks. It operates an online application portal that enables organisations to register, submit, track, and manage their background‑check applications.
Product overview
Disclosure Services operates as a unified background screening platform offering multiple levels of DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks as its core products: Basic, Standard, and Enhanced checks for England and Wales, plus Disclosure Scotland checks for Scotland and Adult First checks for faster regulated staff processing. The company provides an integrated online application portal and API for ATS/HR system integration, along with a Resource Hub containing guidance materials. Following acquisition by The Citation Group in 2023, services are being integrated with uCheck brand to create a combined background screening experience.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Basic DBS Checks
- Standard DBS Checks
- Enhanced DBS Checks
- Disclosure Scotland Checks
- Adult First Checks
- AccessNI Checks
- DBS Check API
- Online Application Portal
Quantifiable outcome
- 56% of higher-level checks turned around within 24 hours
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Disclosure Services
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
Disclosure Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
Disclosure Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Citation GroupcoreDisclosure Services was acquired by The Citation Group in early 2023. Citation Group is a leading provider of compliance and quality services, established in 1996 with offices in the UK and Australia. The acquisition enables integration with uCheck, another background screening expert within the group.
- uCheckcorePartnership with uCheck (also part of Citation Group) to build the UK's best background screening service. Combined experience and technologies create the ultimate background screening experience for clients. Together they deliver millions of checks annually.
- Glyndŵr UniversityminorPartner organisation listed on the Disclosure Services website partners page.
- Cambria CollegeminorPartner organisation listed on the Disclosure Services website partners page.
- Wrexham County Borough CouncilminorLocal government partner and supporter of the Wrexham-based company.
- North Wales Business Council (NWBC)minorRegional business support organisation partner.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Disclosure Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Checkr: US-leading background-check platform with API-first delivery into ATS and HR systems. Highly comparable on technology and ATS-integration approach, though primarily serving the US market rather than the UK DBS framework.
- HireRight: One of the largest global background-screening providers, offering criminal, identity, employment, and credential checks. Closely comparable business model (per-check transaction fees to enterprise HR and staffing clients), but with much broader international scale than Disclosure Services.
- Sterling Check: Global background-check provider serving enterprise and consumer-reporting clients with criminal, identity, and credential verification. Comparable offering and transactional fee model, but operating globally rather than UK-only.
- Veremark: UK and international background-screening company offering criminal, employment, education, and right-to-work checks on a per-check basis. Closely comparable product, customer base (employers / staffing), and transactional revenue model to Disclosure Services.
- uCheck: Sister company under The Citation Group, offering very similar DBS and background-check services in the UK. Together they 'deliver millions of checks each year' and are being combined as the UK background-screening platform inside Citation.
Emerging players
- Onfido: Digital identity-verification provider offering KYC, Right to Work, and criminal-record checks via API. Partial overlap with Disclosure Services' identity and right-to-work workflows but broader focus on biometric and fintech identity use cases.
- TrustID: UK-based identity-verification provider offering right-to-work, DBS-linked ID, and digital identity services. Adjacent in the UK screening ecosystem, increasingly used alongside or in place of traditional DBS workflows, but narrower than Disclosure Services' full DBS portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Experian: Global credit-reference and identity-data bureau listed as a technology partner to Disclosure Services for identity verification and credit checking. Comparable information-provider role for evaluating applicants, but operates at vastly greater scale across credit, marketing, and fraud.
- TransUnion: Major credit-reference and information-services bureau offering consumer reporting, identity, and fraud solutions. Functionally comparable as an information aggregator used to assess individuals for permitted purposes, but at global scale and breadth well beyond UK DBS.
- GBG Group: Established identity-verification and fraud-prevention group covering KYC, AML, location, and consumer-data verification. Adjacent to DBS-style screening via identity-verification and right-to-work products, but a much wider portfolio of compliance services.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Disclosure Services social profiles
Digital presenceDisclosure Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Disclosure Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Disclosure Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Disclosure Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Disclosure Services
What does Disclosure Services do?
Disclosure Services provides UK organisations with Basic, Standard, and Enhanced DBS checks, Disclosure Scotland checks, and Adult First checks. It operates an online application portal that enables organisations to register, submit, track, and manage their background‑check applications.
Is Disclosure Services a public or private company?
Disclosure Services is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Disclosure Services founded?
Disclosure Services was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Disclosure Services based?
Disclosure Services is headquartered in Wrexham, North East Wales, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Disclosure Services make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. DBS Check Processing Fees are the primary driver. The others are volume-Based Pricing.
Who are Disclosure Services's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Checkr, HireRight, Sterling Check, Veremark and uCheck. Emerging players are Onfido and TrustID. Broad incumbents are Experian, TransUnion and GBG Group.
Does Disclosure Services have an API?
Yes. The API enables integration with existing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) or HR systems to submit DBS checks directly without the need to run on two different systems or platforms. It allows organisations to programmatically submit and manage background checks.
What industry is Disclosure Services in?
Disclosure Services's product category is Background Screening Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMAMAG, Regulatory Reporting & Recordkeeping (AML/CTF), with a secondary code of BPAKAHAM, Data Security & Privacy Services (DLP, Encryption, Privacy Ops). Its NAICS code is 56145 and its SIC code is 7320.