Who administers Criminal Record Checks
in Scotland?

The main body responsible for processing Criminal record checks in Scotland is called Disclosure Scotland. Disclosure Scotland provides employers with disclosure information to assist in recruitment decisions. Some employers will be under an obligation to seek disclosures on potential employees, particularly those defined as ‘vulnerable’ in the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Act

The Central Registered Body in Scotland (CRBS) also processes criminal records checks, but only for the voluntary sector. It is operated by Volunteer Development Scotland and provides free disclosure checks for volunteers, as well as guidance, advice and support to voluntary sector organisations working with children, young people and protected adults.

If you are a voluntary organisation, you must be registered with CRBS to gain free disclosure checks for volunteers.

To register with either Disclosure Scotland or CRBS, contact your local volunteer centre or use the contact details given below.

What are the different types of criminal record check available?

There are several types of criminal record check used in Scotland, and deciding which one is appropriate depends largely on the work that an employee/volunteer will be doing.

Standard Disclosures:

These are for people involved in the administration of law, people applying for firearms and explosives licences and people involved in the provision of a Care Service. Organisations can apply for this on behalf of employees/potential employees/volunteers with their consent, but individuals can also apply for this online at the request of their employer/organisation.

Information included:

Enhanced Disclosures:

Applications for enhanced disclosures are only processed for a limited number of purposes since the introduction of the PVG scheme . It is primarily for checking if people are suitable for the purposes of adoption and for people applying for various gaming and lottery licenses.

It includes information on:

Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme:

The PVG scheme is a membership scheme for people doing regulated work with children and/or protected adults in Scotland and was introduced in February 2011.

How does it differ from Enhanced Disclosure Checks?

There is no need for multiple disclosure applications – individuals join once. For any subsequent posts doing regulated work, individuals provide their membership number to their organisation so that they can apply for disclosure information . Criminal records of members are continuously updated and organisations will be notified quickly if a PVG member’s eligibility to work with children/protected adults changes.

The criteria for determining which individuals need PVG Scheme membership has also changed from previous Enhanced Disclosure criteria. Some people who didn’t need Enhanced Disclosures before might now need to join the PVG scheme.

Any individual doing, or in anticipation of doing, regulated work- paid or unpaid - in Scotland with children and/or protected adults. This includes people who do not live in Scotland but will be doing regulated work in Scotland.

Regulated work:

There are two types of regulated work:

Children are defined as anybody under the age of 18. Protected adults are people over the age of 16 who are in receipt of at least one of the following services:

Regulated work is complex to define, but it is essentially any role where a person’s normal duties include working directly with or for children or vulnerable adults. This includes, for example, volunteer befrienders of vulnerable adults or committee members of organisations working with children.

Membership of the PVG scheme is not for people whose contact with children/protected adults at work is ‘incidental’ to their normal duties. For example, a caretaker for a community centre will come into contact with children who attend the after school club, but this contact is incidental to his normal duties which are to manage and look after the centre. Therefore he does NOT need PVG membership.

Because of the new criteria, it is important to make it clear in applications for PVG scheme membership that an applicant’s work is ‘regulated’ in nature. For example, when writing the job title of the applicant in the form, instead of writing ‘driver’, write ‘driver in sole charge of children’. CRBS are recording a large number of failed applications because not enough information is given as proof of regulated work so it is crucial that this is made clear.

For further clarification on regulated work please look at Schedule 2 and Schedule 3 of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 or contact your local Volunteer Centre Office.

What are the different types of PVG Disclosure check available?

There are 3 types of PVG scheme disclosure:

Legal Responsibilities: Individuals

A scheme member must update Disclosure Scotland when:

Legal Responsibilities: Organisations

Organisations now have a legal responsibility to ensure that they do not offer regulated work to a barred individual. Organisations also have a legal responsibility to inform Disclosure Scotland if they have dismissed or removed an individual from regulated work for any the following ‘grounds for referral’:

A referral must be made if an individual has harmed a child/protected adult or placed them at the risk of harm AND they have been dismissed/removed from regulated work as a result. This is true even if:

Further Information:

Your local Volunteer Centre Branches:



West Fife (Dunfermline Office)
Central Fife (Kirkcaldy Office)
East Fife (Cupar Office)

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