Proposed disclosure regime reforms go out to consultation

Disclosure Scotland has published a consultation to review Scotland’s disclosure regime, including the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, which covers those working with children and the vulnerable.

The overall aim includes simplifying the disclosure system to three levels of disclosure, while making membership of the PVG scheme mandatory for those in sensitive roles. All sports coaches working with children and other vulnerable groups would be among those required to undergo mandatory disclosure checks.

More clarity is proposed as to which roles are eligible for PVG scheme membership, by replacing the "regulated work" definition with a list of roles or jobs; and PVG scheme membership should be for a defined period and be periodically renewed, so that inactive scheme members are able to leave the scheme when they no longer require membership.

It is also proposed to reduce the disclosure periods for certain offences in line with the changing policy on rehabilitation of offenders, and to reform the system for removing spent convictions from disclosure certificates.

Pre-consultation engagement by Disclosure Scotland brought out the complex nature of the present disclosure system, as well as the high degree of value and trust that people invest in its products, particularly the PVG Scheme. "The disclosure system is complex and one of our aims must be to make sure that this is simplified as much as possible to make it truly customer-focused so that we can deliver a better system suitable for the next 10 years and beyond", the introduction to the consultatioun states.

Click here to access the consultation. The deadline for responses is 18 July 2018.