The Scottish government has
unveiled its plans for a scheme on the same lines as the Vetting and Barring scheme that is being introduced in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. A
consultation on seven Scottish statutory instruments (SSIs), a regulatory impact assessment and guidance on the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme will run until the 2 February 2010, with an expectation that the scheme will be introduced by the end of 2010. The cost of registration will be £59 in Scotland as compared to £64 in England and Wales and £58 in Northern Ireland, and will be free to volunteers. Anyone included on a Barred List in Scotland will also be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults across the UK.
Unlike the rest of UK registration with the PVG is not compulsory however working when barred or failing to check a prospective employee’s status will be illegal. The Scottish scheme will be narrower in scope than the rest of the UK in an attempt to learn from the public disquiet on the application of the VBS scheme to private arrangements on transporting children to activities. In Scotland employers will pay to check that someone is both a PVG member and at the same time get an enhanced CRB disclosure. In the rest of the UK checks on registration are free but the enhanced disclosure costs £36 (£30 in Northern Ireland). The cost of the combined checks in Scotland is expected to be lower.
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