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Supporting Scotland's vibrant voluntary sector

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland's charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. Charity registered in Scotland SC003558. Registered office Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh EH3 6BB.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme

The PVG Scheme is a registration system for anyone who carries out work (paid or unpaid) with vulnerable groups in Scotland. It is designed to exclude people who are known to be unsuitable from working with vulnerable groups and detects those who become unsuitable while in the workplace.

New laws on disclosure and protection of vulnerable groups (PVG) checks

New law is coming into force in April 2025. Make sure you understand the changes and what they might mean for you by visiting Volunteer Scotland's disclosure information hub.

We held a webinar on 4th December 2024, you can watch the recording in your own time: New laws on disclosure and safeguarding: make sure you’re ready

Who is included in a vulnerable group?

People who are protected by the PVG Scheme are:

  • individuals under the age of 18 (children)
  • individuals over the age of 16 who are provided with care, health, community care or welfare services (protected adults)

What do I need to do?

If your organisation has paid staff or volunteers who are carrying out regulated work, you need access to scheme records. You must either:

Will it cost anything?

Disclosure checks on volunteers are free and are carried out by Volunteer Scotland Disclosure Services.

Disclosure checks carried out on paid employees will cost money, and are generally carried out by Disclosure Scotland. Information about fees is available from Disclosure Scotland.

Do I need to know anything else?

Disclosure Scotland has guidance which outlines everything you need to know about the PVG Scheme.

Last modified on 11 December 2024
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