Now that the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 has been implemented, Volunteer Scotland and Disclosure Scotland have highlighted some of the guidance available to help groups and organisations understand the changes to the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme, and remind them of the additional support resources available.
These include:
- Regulated Roles guidance
Disclosure Scotland is continuing to develop the guidance to meet the needs of groups and organisations. Recently, they have published new guidance (all linked below for your convenience) for:
- Parent Run Groups: guidance for parent run groups such as Parent Councils and Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), and the roles, activities and events they run and are responsible for.
- Sports Organisations: guidance for organisations providing sports services and activities, including Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport (SGBs) and clubs.
- Health Services: guidance for health sector groups, such as hospices and hospitals.
This guidance is available on Disclosure Scotland’s website, along with the updated regulated roles guidance, based on feedback from groups. This guidance will help assess if a role is now a “Regulated Role”.
- the 3 month grace period, ending Monday 30 June 2025
A 3 month grace period was introduced when the Disclosure (Scotland) Act came into effect on Tuesday 1 April 2025, making membership in the PVG scheme a legal requirement for individuals carrying out a regulated role.
This grace period will end on Monday 30 June 2025. By this date, PVG applications must be submitted for anyone who was in a regulated role prior to April.
If you have staff or volunteers who fall into this category, and are not yet members of the PVG scheme, Volunteer Scotland strongly recommends submitting your application request to VSDS as soon as possible: Submit your applications now via the linked online form.
To track application progress, please refer to the “Working On” date listed on the Volunteer Scotland website. This date is updated daily. (Please note that it may fluctuate depending on the volume of incoming applications and available resources.)
- information on applicants responsibilities in sharing disclosures
The disclosure process now includes a requirement for applicants to either:
- share a copy of their disclosure OR
- notify Disclosure Scotland that they intend to seek a review of the content before sharing it
Applicants must provide consent to share their disclosure, regardless of whether it contains any information. This is typically done via their online account. Applicants have 14 days to share their disclosure. If they do not do so within this period, a new application may be required.
Before starting a new application, applicants should contact Disclosure Scotland for further guidance or support, via the telephone helpline: 0300 020 0040, or by email: response@disclosurescotland.gov.scot
Volunteer Scotland has noted that educating your applicants about their responsibilities will help ensure a smoother recruitment process for both groups and organisations, and your applicant.
- various training sessions
Volunteer Scotland’s training team is available to support groups and organisations through the legislation changes and understanding their legal requirements in their role as a signatory.
All courses are free to enrolled organisations and aim to increase knowledge on all aspects of PVG. Sessions available are:
- Disclosure Act Information Sessions: BOOKING LINK
- A Complete Guide to PVG & Your Signatory Role: BOOKING LINK
- PVG – Your Role as a Signatory: BOOKING LINK
- Legal Requirement: BOOKING LINK
- Regulated Roles: BOOKING LINK
- Recruitment & Referrals: BOOKING LINK
- online resources
Volunteer Scotland has a wealth of resources and guidance on their website.
Checking the website before calling the helpline may help you find the answers you need, and keeps the helpline available for those more complex queries which can’t be resolved online.
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