Children and adults lists
Disclosure Scotland keeps a list of people unsuitable to do regulated work with children and a list of people unsuitable to do regulated work with protected adults. The lists are separate, although people can be on both lists.
If Disclosure Scotland adds someone to one or both of these lists, it is known as being ‘listed'. People become listed following a full consideration of all the information made available to Disclosure Scotland.
Disclosure Scotland will give its decision in writing to the applicant, any organisation the applicant is doing regulated work for, and any relevant regulatory body.
If someone is listed on one of these lists, they are barred from working with the vulnerable group covered by that list. Unless they are listed on both lists, someone considered unsuitable to work with children can still work with protected adults and vice versa.
If someone is listed, they are not eligible for PVG Scheme membership for that type of work. If they were already a PVG member before they were listed, Disclosure Scotland will end their membership for that type of regulated work.
It is an offence for someone who is listed to do regulated work with the protected groups they are listed for, and it is an offence for an organisation to employ a listed person to do that kind of regulated work. This includes both volunteer work and paid employment.
Click on the headings below for more information.
Church of Scotland policy—undertaking regulated work while under consideration for listing
The Recruitment Sub-Committee will risk assess any notification received by the Safeguarding Service from Disclosure Scotland, including a notification that a person is under Consideration for Listing.
When the notification from Disclosure Scotland advises that a paid worker or volunteer in post is currently being considered for listing it is the Church of Scotland’s policy that the person is asked to step down from undertaking regulated work until the case can be risk assessed by the Recruitment Sub-Committee.
The Recruitment Sub-Committee can make the following recommendations:
- To take no action
- To impose a precautionary administrative suspension, to be reviewed by the Sub-Committee on a three-month rolling basis
- To take no immediate action but to reconsider the matter at further meeting on a date within the next three months
- To recommend that a person is not suitable for regulated work
Referral to Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) (Presbytery of England)
In relation to DBS, a referral is information about a person where there is a concern that an individual may have harmed a child or vulnerable adult or put a child or vulnerable adult at risk of harm.
If a Safeguarding Coordinator or Kirk Session becomes aware of a situation like this, they should seek advice from the Safeguarding Service.
Under consideration for listing
If the initial assessment indicates that Disclosure Scotland may need to list the person, they will carry out a full ‘consideration for listing’ assessment. This is to decide if the person should be listed as unsuitable to do regulated work with children, protected adults or both.
The person can continue to work with vulnerable groups while Disclosure Scotland is checking their information, but if they are a PVG Scheme member their PVG Scheme Record will say that they are under consideration for listing.
Disclosure Scotland will also tell the person’s employer and (if applicable) regulatory body that it is considering listing the person.