Useful information  in the run up to the implementation of the PVG Scheme.

1. Ministerial Code of Practice (MCoP)
2. PVG Tools
3. Draft Policies
4. Coversheets
5. Guidance Notes
6. Checklists
7. Submitting PVG Scheme Membership Applications
8. Retrospective Checking under PVG
9. PVG Scheme Application Forms
10. Contact Details

1. Ministerial Code of Practice (MCoP)

A new Ministerial Code of Practice has been written to reflect the implementation of the PVG Scheme. You can obtain a copy of the Code of Practice by clicking here.

Please note the Code of Practice will remain in draft form until the PVG Scheme commences on 28th February 2011 however you should take this opportunity to familiarise yourself with the requirements and make any necessary adjustments to practice or policy so you’re organisation is ready and compliant when the PVG Scheme goes live.

2. PVG Tools

Disclosure Scotland have made a number of tools available on their website, please click on each of the undernoted to access the resource:

• PVG Scheme guidance materials
• PVG Scheme e-learning materials
• Regulated work self-assessment tool

3. Draft Policies

We have updated our draft policies to help you make safe and effective recruitment decisions. To view the full range of resources, pleaseclick here. Resources include:

• Draft Code of Conduct
• Draft Code of Good Practice
• Draft self declaration form (Adults) (Children)
• Draft letters to referees
• Guidance on checking I.D. documents / forms

4. Coversheets

As you know, each form or batch of forms sent to CRBS must be accompanied by a valid and complete coversheet. We’ve updated our coversheets so there’s now 1 coversheet for accompanying PVG Scheme Member applications and 1 coversheet for Standard and / or Enhanced disclosures.

Please make sure you complete the correct coversheet and are using the latest version by visiting our website www.crbs.org.uk or clicking on the links above.

5. Guidance Notes

We’ve updated our guidance notes to reflect the new PVG Scheme Membership application form, PVG Application Guidance Notes. We’ve also developed a web based, user interactive guidance.

6. Checklists

Guidance for Completion of Checklists
Children Checklist
Care Service Checklist
Welfare Service Checklist
Health Service Checklist

7. Submitting PVG Scheme Membership Applications

To assist CRBS ascertain whether a role / position meets the requirements set out in the PVG Act, we require a job / role descriptor to be submitted for each new position your organisation is processing.

You will only be required to submit information in relation to a role / job description once. Our Assessment Team will then undertake the necessary checks (including liaising with you if we require any further information to assist us in ascertaining whether the post does meet the requirements for PVG Scheme Membership). Our system has a “memory” so all subsequent applications with the same job title will be recognised and processed accordingly.

After that, we just need you to tell us of any changes to the normal duties of that job / role if such a change occurs.

For example, if you are submitting an application for someone to become a “Crèche worker”, you should include a job / role descriptor including details of their normal duties. The next time you need to recruit a Crèche worker, CRBS will recognise that role has previously been assessed for your organisation and we won’t need to make further assessment.

If however, you then need a Crèche Assistant, this position would require to be assessed as it’s the first time since the inception of PVG that CRBS has seen this job / role for your organisation, so we require a job / role descriptor.

If you’re unsure what’s required, please contact a member of the Assessment Team before submitting your forms. This can be done via telephone or e-mail and details are contained at the end of this e-mail.

8. Retrospective Checking under PVG

Disclosure Scotland have advised that year 1 of the implementation of the PVG Scheme is for new appointments (including change of positions within the same organisation) only.

If your organisation has retrospective or cyclical checking as part of their policies, we are requesting this is abated until retrospection starts in year 2.

Where you have a concern regarding a person’s ongoing suitability to work with children and / or protected adults, you should contact CRBS to discuss your requirement for submitting a PVG Scheme Membership application early given the exceptional circumstances.

Should any retrospective checking become available in year 1, Disclosure Scotland will inform CRBS of our account limit and we will be working with customers to ascertain your individual needs whilst trying to balance this against our allocated account limit.

In years 2, 3 and 4, Disclosure Scotland will facilitate retrospective checking, that is people who are currently working or volunteering in a role which means they’re undertaking “regulated work” but they’ve been in this position since before 28th February 2011, will be invited to join the PVG Scheme. Retrospective checking is spread over a period of 3 years to allow organisations to adopt a systematic approach to filtering their existing workforce into the Scheme.

In our Summer and Autumn / Winter newsletters, we suggested a number of steps organisations may wish to consider to assist them in deciding which volunteers should join the PVG Scheme in year 2, year 3 and year 4. You can still view the newsletters by clicking here (Summer Newsletter)(Autumn / Winter Newsletter).

9. PVG Scheme Member Application Forms

CRBS has a limited stock of PVG Scheme Member application forms and we’re working to disseminate these to our customers as quickly as possible. Many of our customers have placed orders for a large number of forms and, at this time, we will be unable to provide the full amount requested. We will be receiving further forms from Disclosure Scotland in due course and we are grateful for your patience as we replenish our stock.

Please remember that initially organisations should only be submitting PVG Scheme Membership applications for persons who are new to them or who have changed position within the organisation since the implementation of the PVG Scheme (28th February).

We therefore expect that you will not require large volumes of application forms in the first few months of the Scheme being implemented.

Finally…

In the last 2 weeks before our cut-off date, we received an increase in demand equating to an additional 130% of the volume of applications expected. This has a considerable impact on our ability to deliver other services such as telephone advice and support whilst completing and processing all the application forms ahead of Disclosure Scotland’s cut-off date of 27th February.

We appreciate that many of our customers are seeking additional advice or information via telephone and e-mail and are grateful for your continued patience as we prioritise the processing of this large volume of applications ahead of the legislation changing.

10. Contact Details

There are a range of ways you can get in touch:

By post: CRBS, Jubilee House, Forthside Way, Stirling, FK8 1QZ

By e-mail: info@crbs.org.uk or pvg@crbs.org.uk

By telephone: 01786 849777
Option 1 for our Enrolment & Assessment Team
Option 2 for our Customer Support Team
Option 3 for our Training and Compliance Team
Option 4 for PVG enquiries (please note this option will cease from 28th February 2011)