From 28th February 2011, the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 introduces the definition of Regulated Work. Regulated Work can be paid or unpaid (voluntary) and may include some of the following roles:

• Coaches
• Parent helpers
• Child Protection Co-ordinators
• Safety boat drivers
• Club members who are involved with children
• Team leaders/managers
• Chaperones
• Photographers

However, it is not possible to provide a definitive list and clubs, centres or other deployers should first assess the role again the Regulated Work criteria. It is a criminal offence to appoint someone to Regulated Work with Children if they are disqualificed from working with children.

It is desirable that you show your birth certificate and at least one of:

• Passport
• Driving licence – with photograph
• Other photo ID card (e.g. staff ID card)

Please note that in addition to these at least one of the following should be shown in order to verify your address:

• bank or building society statement
• two non – consecutive utility bills
• credit or store card statement
• financial statement (e.g. mortgage, ISA )
• correspondence from Benefits Agency, Employment Service, Inland Revenue or Local Authority
• Pension or other benefit book
• Visa
• Work permit.

PVG applications are recorded in the SCA's central database and accessed by key administration staff and the Child Protection Officer. Specifically this records:

• The applicant’s name
• The application form serial number
• The applicant’s Club
• The date the application was signed
• The date the SCA received the application
• The date the application was sent to the CRBS (or to the applicant if necessary)
• The date the PVG Scheme Record / Scheme Record Update Certificate was received

Your initial scheme membership record will only be seen by the SCA Child Protection Officer and Administrator. Once you are a scheme member, the Child Protection Officer within your Club or Employer will be required to review your PVG Scheme Record.

No convictions are considered as spent in relation to a position with children or adults at risk.

Any Conviction, Cautions or other Relevant or Government Information on the applicant.

• By law this has to be destroyed by shredding and composting or burning within 90 days. In reality if the certificate shows no relevant convictions it is destroyed immediately.
• If there are relevant convictions the SCA keep the certificate in a locked filing cabinet until any issues have been decided, and it is then destroyed.
• No certificate can be kept longer than 90 days.

1. You should send the application to the SCA Child Protection Officer personally or via your Club representative.
2. The SCA Child Protection Officer checks the form (and if there are any omissions or mistakes it may be returned to you) and completes a covering sheet.
3. It is sent to the Central Registered Body in Scotland - the clearing body for all volunteers in sport.  Again it may be returned to the SCA at this point if there are mistakes or omissions.  The CRBS complete their section on and send it to Disclosure Scotland.
4. Disclosure Scotland do all the necessary Police checks and subsequently send one copy of the Disclosure directly to the applicant and the employer’s copy to the CRBS, who subsequently send this copy on to the SCA Child Protection Officer.

PVG Scheme membership and updates are free for volunteers. Otherwise, initial PVG Scheme membership is £59. A scheme record update is £18. These fees are paid directly to Disclosure Scotland.

Disclosures carried out prior to February 2011 were carried out for a specific job (paid or voluntary) so what may be relevant in paddlesport may not be relevant in other areas. Also very occasionally there will be ‘Other relevant information’ on the employers certificate that is not on the applicant’s copy. Therefore it is essential that the SCA, as the employer, see the original employer’s copy.

Since 28th February 2011, the PVG scheme introduces single membership. This membership can be used for an individual who has Regulated Work roles in multiple organisations. They are, however, required to carry out a Scheme Record Update for each organisation. This ensures the individual is linked to those organisation.