The government is consulting on ending lifelong disclosure of some childhood convictions, and on removing disclosure of out-of-court resolutions, it said on Thursday.
The proposals would also reduce or remove disclosure of convictions that resulted in a fine.
They would not apply to people with convictions for serious violent offences, such as violent and sexual crimes. The government said public protection “will remain paramount”.
Under current rules, many criminal record disclosure rules do not distinguish between offences committed by adults and by children. The government gave the example of someone convicted of robbery at 16 who has never offended again but could still find the record holding them back from certain jobs years later.
The consultation delivers a commitment in the Youth Justice White Paper, which the government published on 18 May and which applies to England and Wales.
That paper, set out by the Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, promised consultation on childhood criminal records reform by the end of the year. It said this would consider “potentially ending lifelong disclosure requirements for childhood offences”.
Jake Richards, minister for youth justice, sentencing and technology, said children who commit crimes must face the consequences, but those who turn their lives around should not carry their mistakes for ever.
“Too often, a childhood criminal record can close doors to jobs, education and the chance to build a better future.”
To mark the launch, Richards convened a roundtable with businesses including KPMG, Timpson and Greene King, to hear how childhood criminal records can create barriers to employment.
Satvir Kaur, minister for safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, said some convictions would always need to be disclosed.
“There are some convictions, particularly for serious violent and sexual offences, that will always need to be disclosed. We are going further to strengthen these safeguards,” she said.
Penelope Gibbs, director of Transform Justice, said criminal records checks are an essential safeguarding tool, but that a childhood misdemeanour should not prevent someone volunteering or getting work decades later.
“Our current system means that a child who commits an offence aged 12 and receives a community sentence will often still have to disclose that offence thirty years later,” she said.
The government said that people who find work after leaving prison are far less likely to reoffend, and that more than 90% of businesses that employ prison leavers say they are motivated, dependable and have strong attendance records.
The White Paper also said proposals for fundamental reform of the youth out-of-court resolution framework would be set out in autumn 2026.
The government said the announcement comes ahead of Alan Milburn’s review, which is due to conclude later this month.