Individuals
Find out how disclosure affects you and the types you can apply for.
Employers
Find out more about types of disclosures, the PVG Scheme and request forms and guides.
How long will it take to receive my certificate?
19 May 2013
Disclosure Scotland works within a Service Level Agreement to produce 90% of all types of Disclosure, for a correctly completed application with no further enquiries, within 14 calendar days. This is measured from the day we receive the application to the day of dispatch. Certificates are dispatched 1st class Royal Mail postage .
As of 19/5/2013, we are processing correctly completed Police Act Disclosure applications and PVG Scheme applications, with no further enquiries, within our Service Level Agreement.
As some applications may require further enquiries, these applications may take longer than our quoted average turnaround time.
Important Customer Notices:
Retrospective Checking Update, Full Agreed Monthly Volumes to begin on Monday 1 April 2013
28 March 2013
It has now been agreed by Scottish Ministers that the full agreed monthly volumes from organisations for the retrospective checking of existing employees (i.e. those employees who were in post at the PVG go-live date, 28 February 2011) will be starting on Monday 1 April 2013. This process is currently scheduled to last for 3 years from the start of the partial retrospection on 29 October 2012.
Disclosure Scotland would appreciate the co-operation of all registered bodies in ensuring that their monthly submissions are spread evenly throughout the entire 3-year period and throughout the calendar month. This will ensure that we do not have an unnecessary ‘swamping’ of applications during the first year, or part of a month, and will also assist in ensuring that our service targets are maintained to all customers.
Before submitting a retrospective application for a current employee, please ensure that they have not already been introduced into the PVG Scheme by another employer. If your 'retrospective' employee is already in the PVG Scheme for your specific regulated workforce(s), then you need only apply for a PVG Scheme Record Update (SRU). The SRU costs £18 and has a quicker turnaround time than a Scheme Record application, so there is considerable benefit in confirming if your employee is in the PVG Scheme before submitting a full Scheme Record application.
Annual Subscription Letters
27 March 2013
Customers are advised that Disclosure Scotland is still experiencing some issues with the production of the Annual Subscription notice letter. Until further notice, if you receive such a letter requesting payment, please ignore it. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause but we are working towards a solution as quickly as possible. Once the outstanding issue is resolve we will update our website accordingly.
Reprint Requests - Revised Procedure
21 February 2013
When you apply for a Disclosure, we will send the certificate to the address you supplied on the form. If your certificate has not been received it may be that you would wish a reprinted certificate sent to an alternative address. For this to happen, the customer has to formally write to Disclosure Scotland to request this, with a copy of documentation from the new address, with the request signed by the applicant. We can accept scanned copies of such requests. This new procedure will come into force on 31 March 2013.
Re-prints of certificates can only be offered if the original certificate was not delivered. After issue, it is the property and responsibility of the applicant.
Customers should also be aware that due to system storage and data security constraints, if they wish to request a re-print of a Disclosure certificate, there is a time limit of 84 days. After that date, certain details of applications are removed from our systems and a re-print is not possible.
Disregarding certain convictions for sexual offences
6 December 2012
On 1 October 2012, a change was made to the law of England and Wales which means that anyone with certain historical convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings for decriminalised consensual sex between persons aged 16 and over can apply to the Home Office to have these records disregarded.
Following a successful application to the Home Office, the disregarded offence(s) no longer need to be disclosed by the individual.
Please note that applications for the disregarding of such offences must be made directly to the Home Office.
Follow this link to find out more about the process, including the form and guidance notes.
Our Cookie Policy
August 2012
