Checks for volunteers over 16 visiting Scotland

All Young Leaders and Young Helpers aged 16 and 17, and all Adult volunteers travelling to Scotland and taking part in a regulated role where they will intentionally interact with, or be responsible for, Scottish youth members, through planned activities and events, must gain a Scottish criminal record check - known as a Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) disclosure, for the purposes of the trip and be cleared to volunteer before they carry out a regulated role in Scotland. This means they’ll have the ‘Disclosure Issued’ status showing against a Disclosure Scotland check on My Membership. 

As the definition of a regulated role in Scotland is different to the definition of regulated activity in the rest of the UK, this includes any parent helpers and volunteers who have a Non Member - Needs disclosure role.  

Examples where this would be required: 

• where adult Volunteers from outside of Scotland have agreed to help at a large event organised in Scotland, e.g. Blair Atholl
• where a group outside of Scotland is doing a partnered camp with another group based in Scotland, where the leaders will jointly be responsible for all the young people
• where a group outside of Scotland is attending a camp in Scotland and whilst there plan or reasonably expect to carry out joint activities with young people from Scottish groups

Examples of where this would not be required; 

• where volunteers aged 16 and above, and young people from a group outside of Scotland visit Scotland and have no intention of interacting or supporting any other young people than those in their group
• where volunteers aged 16 and above, and young people from a group outside of Scotland are visiting Scotland, and intend to go to a Scout Campsite which will have other young people from Scottish Scout Groups present but are not involved in any of their planned activities
• where volunteers aged 16 and above from outside of Scotland are attending a large event in Scotland, with their young people from outside of Scotland. They are not responsible for any young people other than their own, but will be on the same event as Scottish young people. 

How to complete an adult application to join the PVG Scheme

To complete an application to join the PVG Scheme, adult volunteers should carry out the following steps: 

Step 1 – Contact the partnering group or organiser in Scotland

Contact the organisers in Scouts Scotland you are partnering with and ask for the Visiting Scotland accreditation to be added to the relevant volunteer(s).

All Leadership Teams and Programme Teams at District, Region and Nation level in Scotland will be able to add this accreditation.

Step 2 – Submit your application 

Once the accreditation has been added, a Disclosure Scotland check will be required, and this should be requested by a Team Leader, Lead Volunteer or a volunteer with the Disclosure Support Volunteer accreditation. 

The PVG application process is outlined on the Criminal record checking in Scotland page and you can follow our digital tool guide page for help submitting this too. 

Step 3 – Share your result with UKHQ 

Once the adult volunteer receives their PVG disclosure online, it must be shared with the UKHQ Safeguarding Team within 14 days, or the application process will need to be started again. 

How to complete a young person application to join the PVG Scheme

The interim process for adding 16-17 year olds from outside of Scotland to My Membership is the same as the interim process within Scotland.

When the young person is added to My Membership, contact the Support Centre who can then add the Visiting Scotland accreditation to trigger the PVG application process.

Closing a PVG 

Scouts, and the volunteer, must let Disclosure Scotland know if a volunteer no longer needs to be a member of the PVG Scheme, either because they’ve left Scouts, or they’re no longer carrying out a regulated role in Scotland. 

The accreditation will auto-expire five years after the start date, and Scouts will inform Disclosure Scotland. If the volunteer still needs to be a member of the PVG Scheme, the accreditation will need to be re-added, and an application submitted to re-join the PVG Scheme.