Skip navigation

Section 2 – Character and health declarations, vetting and barring

The first page of this section contains declarations relating to your character, and the second contains declarations relating to health and disability conditions.

These declarations, in addition to any supplementary information you upload, allow us to consider your fitness to practise.

What you'll be asked

You'll be asked to choose between yes and no options relating to a series of questions. On each page, you’ll have the option to provide more information in a text field, or upload documentation. If your answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’, please supply more information about this in the most appropriate field.

This additional information will allow us to consider the declaration you have made and how it might affect your ability to practise safely.

Guidance on answering these questions

For more information on how to answer these questions, please see our health and character declarations web pages and online case studies, or our guidance on health, disability and becoming a health and care professional.

Character declarations

These questions help us assess information relating to your character. When we look at whether an applicant is of ‘good character’ we take account of conduct in the past which indicates that the applicant may be dishonest, untrustworthy, capable of harming patients and service users or to act in a manner which undermines public confidence in the profession in question.

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 does not apply to an application for HCPC registration, so you must declare to us any convictions or police cautions that you have received, even if they are ‘spent’ under that Act, other than a protected caution or protected conviction.

A caution is protected from disclosure six years after it was accepted (or two years if the offender was under 18 when it was accepted). A conviction is protected from disclosure after 11 years (or five and a half years if the offender was under 18 when convicted). In either case a conviction will only be protected if the offender received a non-custodial sentence and has no other convictions.

A caution or conviction will not be protected if it is for a ‘listed offence’ under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. These include serious violent or sexual offences and offences of specific relevance to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. A caution or conviction for a listed offence must always be disclosed to us.

Further guidance on listed offences can be found on the Disclosure and Barring Service website.

Vetting and barring

We ask you to tell us if you have been barred from working with children or vulnerable adults under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 or the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.

Vetting and barring schemes have been introduced across the UK to make sure that unsuitable individuals are not able to work with children or vulnerable adults.

Health and disability

You are asked to declare whether any health conditions currently affect your ability to practise safely. Many health conditions can be managed appropriately so that the applicant is still able to practise their profession safely and effectively.

We recognise that a disability may not be seen as a health condition, but we also need information about any disability that may affect your ability to practise.

Next section

Once you've checked your eligibility, read our standards and guidance and prepared your certified documents you can apply online
Page updated on: 15/06/2022
Top