Regulated activity is work that involves close contact with children and/or vulnerable adults.  This could be either paid, unpaid or voluntary work. 

Regulated activities include:

• Any activity that involves contact with children or vulnerable adults and is of a specified nature (e.g teaching, care, supervision, treatment or transport) and occurs frequently, intensively and/or overnight
• Any activity allowing contact with children or vulnerable adults and is in a specified place (e.g. schools, care homes) and occurs frequently or intensively
• Fostering and childcare
• Certain defined positions of responsibility (e.g school governors, trustees of charities working wth children or vulnerable adults).

Organisations will have specific duties and responsibilities if they provide regulated activities. 
It will be a criminal offence for:

• a barred person to undertake regulated activity
• an employer not to check with the ISA the status of an applicant, employee or volunteer
• an employer to permit a barred person, or a person who is not registered with the VBS to work in a regulated activity

Controlled activity is work that people who are barred can still do if the right safeguards are in place.  Organisations must still check whether applicants are subject to monitoring. 

Controlled activities include:

• Frequent or intensive support work in general health, NHS or further education settings (e.g. cleaner, shop worker,
• Work for specified organisations (e.g local authority) with frequent access to sensitive records about children or vulnerable adults
• Support work in adult social care settings (e.g. day centre cleaners, jobs with access to social care records)

Organisations will have specific duties and responsibilities for controlled activities: 

• It will be a criminal offence not to check with the ISA the status of an applicant, employee or volunteer.
• Sufficient safeguards must be in place for the provider to permit a barred person to work.

   “Intensive” means that a person is involved in the activity on three or more occasions in a 30-day period.  “Frequent” means that the person is involved in the activity on one or more occasions a month on an ongoing basis.  “Overnight” includes the period between 2am and 6pm.