Products and services
PVG Scheme
The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) membership scheme is managed and delivered by Disclosure Scotland. To be eligible for the PVG Scheme you must be working in Scotland and undertaking regulated activity with children and/or adults.
What is a PVG Scheme?
The PVG Scheme is Scotland’s reaction to the Bichard Inquiry Report’s main recommendation that was made following Soham’s murder enquiry in 2002. This recommendation called for a system for all of those who work with children and vulnerable adults to make sure they are eligible to carry out regulated activities. The PVG Scheme was established by the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.
- This scheme helps to ensure those with frequent contact with children and protected adults through paid and unpaid work do not have a known history of damaging conduct.
- Quick and easy to use, reducing the need for members of the PVG Scheme to complete a detailed application form for each new job.
- Strike a balance between proportionate protection and robust regulation and make it easier for employers to determine who they should check to protect their client group.
- PVG is a membership system that guarantees that individuals who are barred from working with certain vulnerable groups are not able to do so. Disclosure Scotland will retain lists of individuals who are not allowed to work with children and those who are not allowed to work with protected adults.
- An individual who is prohibited from working with one group is not necessarily prohibited from working with the other group.
- This scheme makes it illegal for organisations to employ a barred person for a regulated role.
Types of work covered by PVG
The PVG Scheme only applies to regulated work with children and protected adults. Regulated work is usually jobs including:
- Caring responsibilities
- Teaching or supervising children and/or protected adults
- Providing personal services to children and/or protected adults
- Working directly with children and/or protected adults
A job role requiring PVG can be unpaid or paid. Some examples are:
- Teacher
- Doctor
- Dentist
- Nurse
- Girl guide leader
- Child-minder
It can also apply to certain positions within an organisation, even where the role doesn’t involve any direct contact with children or protected adults. Examples include:
- Membership of certain council committees
- Trustees of charities focused on children
- Trustees of charities focused on protected adults
Types of PVG Scheme Records
| Type | Who is it for? | Includes vetting information |
|---|---|---|
| Scheme Record | People who want to join the PVG Scheme to do regulated work for an organisation | Yes |
| Short Scheme Record | PVG Scheme members joining a new organisation for the same type of regulated work, and have had a scheme record issued for that type of work before | No |
| Scheme Membership Statement | People who want to do regulated work in the future, people who are self-employed and doing regulated work, or private individuals (personal employers) employing someone to do regulated work for them | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
You can apply for each type of PVG disclosure record using an online form. There are different forms depending on whether you are new to the PVG Scheme, or are already a scheme member.
You can request the form from your employer, they will email it to you.
You’ll need to fill in, sign the form and email it to your employer.
Please note: Disclosure Scotland will accept typed signatures.
You’ll also need to show some ID to confirm your identity and address to your employer or the organisation managing their PVG records.
If you are an employer and would like to request PVG forms, please register with us first and we will send them electronically to you.
90% of PVG applications are completed within 14 days (not including postage time). If you’ve made any mistakes in your application, or if Disclosure Scotland have to make any extra checks, your application may take longer to complete.
If you’re already a member of the PVG scheme, you should update your record with Disclosure Scotland when you start a new job or voluntary role which involves regulated work.
Your new employer may ask you to complete an Existing PVG Scheme Member form. This will allow them to get an up-to-date certificate as well as be added to your PVG membership account. This update – known as a Short Scheme Record costs £18.
All PVG Scheme records show the following information:
- Name
- Address
- Date of birth
- PVG Scheme membership number
- Disclosure number of the Scheme Record
- The type of regulated work the person is a PVG Scheme member for
- Confirmation that the person isn’t barred from doing that work
- If the person is under consideration for listing for that type of regulated work
This information is the scheme member’s statement of scheme membership. Each PVG disclosure record will also have a disclosure number.
Other information shown depends on the type of PVG disclosure record:
PVG Scheme Record
Membership information
- the scheme member’s statement of scheme membership
- name and address of the registered body and countersignatory details (on the registered body’s copy only)
- name and address of the regulatory body and registration number (on the regulatory body’s copy only, if necessary)
Vetting information
- unspent convictions
- spent convictions for certain offences
- unspent cautions
- if the person is on the sex offenders register
- relevant information from the police force
- prescribed civil ordersPVG Short Scheme Record
PVG Short Scheme Record
Membership information
- the scheme member’s statement of scheme membership
- name and address of the registered body and countersignatory details
Vetting information
- no vetting information is included
Scheme Membership Statement
Membership information
- the scheme member’s statement of scheme membership
- name and address of the personal employer (on the personal employer’s copy only)
Vetting information
- no vetting information is included
