Supporting Trans Volunteers through the Appointment and Vetting Process
The Scout Association is committed to diversity and inclusion and is open to all people regardless of their gender identity.
People who are transgender have a right to be treated as their acquired gender, regardless of what (if any) medical or legal steps they have taken. Members may or may not change their name, and may or may not obtain legal recognition of their acquired gender.
There are a number of practical things that managers and local appointments teams should be aware of with regard to maintaining Membership records and disclosure processes, in order to support the full inclusion of adults who are transgender. The key points are outlined below.
For further information about practically supporting adults in Scouting who are transgender see our guidance on Supporting Trans Volunteers.
Updating a Member's name on their record on Compass
An adult in Scouting who is transitioning (in the process of moving from their assigned gender into their chosen or acquired gender) may legally change their name and therefore wish to update their name within their membership record on Compass.
To do so, the Member's line manager should contact The Scout Support Centre to verify that they have seen proof of the name change (e.g. driving licence or bank statement), enabling the changes to be made. Name changes are most commonly requested via the Appointments Secretary or relevant Commissioner, where confidentiality is of up-most importance, the line manager is appropriate.
Once the current name is added, no previous names are visible within the Compass portal and there would be no evidence to other Members that a change has been made.
The law requires that an individual discloses all of their previous names and addresses to the DBS, so that they can correctly process the application. There are a number of options to ensure that adult volunteers who are transgender can complete the disclosure process without needing to disclose their gender identity within Scouting.
- The Disclosure and Barring Service offer a Sensitive DBS Application Process. To ensure that previous names (and gender) are not disclosed on the DBS certificate, an applicant needs to directly contact the DBS Sensitive Applications Team when a disclosure check is requested in Scouting.
More information about the Disclosure and Barring Service Checks for Transgender Persons, including direct contact details for them, is available on the Gov website or via e-mail sensitive@dbs.gsi.gov.uk
- For Members who do not wish to disclose their gender identity, or previous names, a disclosure application can be completed for the Member by contacting The Scout Support Centre at UK HQ. ID checking can be completed confidentially.
Further information is available confidentially via disclosures@scouts.org.uk
AccessNI, the disclosure checking service used in Northern Ireland, also offer a discrete application process for adults who do not wish to disclose their gender identity or previous names and gender.
For further information on the process in Northern Ireland, contact AccessNI's Operations manager via 0300 200 7888.
Disclosure Scotland use the PVG scheme, which uses a paper form. ID checking can be completed confidentially by contacting The Scout Support Centre at UK HQ.
For further information, please contact disclosures@scouts.org.uk