What this means
Start with the exact decision in front of you.
Notification duties vary by profession, role, contract and procedural event. Arrest, interview, charge, caution and conviction are not interchangeable, so the exact rule and trigger should be checked before either withholding information or disclosing more than required.
Immediate priorities
Organise the position before responding.
Identify the event that has occurred and its date
Read the current professional code, contract and any order
Make a dated record of what was notified and why
Detailed guidance
The procedure, evidence and possible route from here.
01
Identify the precise event and the rule it may trigger
Build a notification matrix using the current code for the particular profession, any registration condition, the employment contract and role-specific policy. Do not substitute a general idea of candour for the published wording. The GMC, for example, requires specified criminal events to be reported without delay; the SRA Code refers to prompt notification of a charge, conviction or caution subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act; HCPC and NMC wording has its own scope. Those examples show why profession and status matter.
Write down whether the event is an arrest, voluntary interview, charge, caution, conditional discharge, conviction, acquittal or appeal. These terms are not synonyms. Also record the jurisdiction, because Scotland and Northern Ireland use different disposals and disclosure rules. An arrest alone may fall outside one regulator's enumerated trigger while still engaging an employer policy or a duty connected with safe practice. Where two rules apply, satisfy each recipient and deadline rather than assuming one report reaches every body.
- Quote the current rule and its timing language
- Name the exact criminal event and jurisdiction
- Check employer, regulator and existing-order duties separately
02
Make a factual and appropriately limited notification
A reliable notice gives the professional's identifying details, date of the event, exact offence wording, court or police force, next listed step and any condition relevant to work. State that a charge remains an allegation and avoid asserting either guilt or exoneration before the criminal process decides it. Attach an official document only where requested, permitted and suitably redacted. If a detail has not been confirmed, say so and identify when an update is expected rather than filling the gap from memory.
Keep the submitted version, attachments and proof of delivery. A telephone report should be followed by a dated written record identifying the recipient and information given. Do not send a criminal solicitor's advice, interview strategy or draft defence unless there is an informed decision that disclosure is required and privilege consequences have been assessed. The regulator can be told that advice is being obtained without learning its substance. Sensitive information about complainants or patients should be limited to what the notification rule needs.
- Use offence wording from the charge, caution or court record
- Mark unresolved details instead of guessing
- Preserve the final notice and evidence of receipt
03
Manage updates and disclosure exceptions
After the initial report, monitor whether the governing rule requires updates at charge amendment, bail variation, caution, plea, verdict, sentence or appeal. Send each update as a new dated procedural fact and refer to the earlier notice. A regulator may view failure to report as a separate professional issue even where the underlying matter is less serious, so a missed deadline should be addressed candidly with an accurate chronology rather than concealed through backdating or vague wording.
Spent and protected records require careful treatment. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and its exceptions interact with profession-specific legislation and registration questions; the result cannot be inferred merely from age or online summaries. DBS disclosure is also a distinct statutory process, not a substitute for direct reporting under a code. Before omitting older information, check the exact question, role eligibility and applicable jurisdiction. Before volunteering it, confirm that the recipient is entitled to request or receive it.
- Calendar each later event that may require an update
- Explain any delayed notification with a verified chronology
- Check protected-record and DBS rules against the actual role
Key questions
Keep the analysis tied to this stage.
Whether a notification duty has been triggered
Who must receive the information
What factual detail is necessary and accurate
Advice is provided only by the regulated firm that accepts a matter.
Common questions
Clarifying the route without assuming the outcome.
Is an arrest the same as a charge for notification purposes?
No. Arrest permits detention on suspicion; charge formally accuses the person of an offence. The professional code or employment term must be checked for the event it actually names.
Can notification wait until the criminal case finishes?
Only if the applicable rule allows that. Several professional codes require reporting at charge or caution, before trial or sentence, and use prompt or without-delay wording.
Connected guidance
Continue through the topic map.
Use the hub for the full sequence or choose the connected route that matches the notice.
Official sources
Check the material for this question.
Sources checked 19 September 2026. Rules change, so compare the current notice and linked official material and tell the operator if a citation or summary needs correction.