Changes to criminal record checks in Scotland
Find out who now needs a PVG disclosure, and how to carry out the checks
Changes to criminal record checks in Scotland
All volunteers in Scotland must be fully compliant with these changes by 1 April 2026.
Following changes to rules in Scotland, we’ve made changes to who requires a criminal record check, and what you can do with and without a PVG disclosure in Scouts.
You can read about these changes in the following pages, with links to more information on how to make the changes locally. The rule changes will be made in the Spring 2026 edition of POR.
These are the changes that have been made.
All adults in Scotland carrying out a regulated role must have a PVG disclosure
What this means:
All adults must have the Disclosure Issued status against a Disclosure Scotland check on My Membership before they carry out a regulated role – once this is in place, they are clear to volunteer. This includes new volunteers with supervised access, Trustees, taster sessions, helpers and those on a parent rota.
Read more about checks for all adults carrying out a regulated role.
All young people aged 16-17 carrying out a regulated role in Scotland must have a PVG disclosure
What this means:
All Young Leaders in Scotland aged 16-17 must have the Disclosure Issued status against a Disclosure Scotland check on My Membership before they carry out a regulated role – once this is in place, they are clear to volunteer.
All other Young Helpers in Scotland aged 16-17 (such as young people who are not Explorer Scouts but are volunteering with Scouts as part of their DofE) must also be clear to volunteer, before they begin or continue carrying out a regulated role.
Find out how to add young people to My Membership
All adult volunteers and young people aged 16 and over travelling to Scotland and taking part in regulated activity where they plan to interact with, or be responsible for, Scottish youth members, must gain a Scottish criminal record check
What this means:
All Young Leaders and Young Helpers aged 16 and 17, and all Adult volunteers travelling to Scotland and taking part in regulated activity where they will intentionally interact with, or be responsible for, Scottish youth members, through planned activities and events, must have the Disclosure Issued status against a Disclosure Scotland check on My Membership before they carry out a regulated role – once this is in place, they are clear to volunteer in Scotland.
-
As the definition of a regulated role in Scotland is different to regulated activity in the rest of the UK, this includes any parent helpers and volunteers who have a Non Member - Needs disclosure role.
-
This includes any length of visit to Scotland including day visits and is not specific to Nights Away events.
Notifying Disclosure Scotland when a volunteer no longer needs a PVG
What this means:
When a volunteer who is a member of the PVG Scheme no longer needs to be, Scouts and the volunteer must notify Disclosure Scotland and they must leave the PVG Scheme.
-
This applies to people leaving Scouts, changing roles, and once they’ve visited Scotland and won’t be doing so again.
-
Should the volunteer require a criminal record check in the future, they’ll need to apply to join the PVG Scheme again through the same process.
Informing Disclosure Scotland will be managed by UKHQ, as roles and accreditations are closed, however the volunteer also has a responsibility to inform Disclosure Scotland.
Further changes
There’ll be more changes during 2026 to criminal record check processes across all Nations in Scouts. These changes are expected to look at roles where a criminal record check isn’t required, and the timeframes for renewal. We’re working through these changes at the moment, and more information will be shared soon.