Updated PVG guidance by the Care Inspectorate
The existing Protecting Vulnerable Groups – Guidance for Care Inspectorate Staff and Service Providers, available on their website, advises that providers should seek updates on individual staff PVG Scheme membership every three years. This is not a requirement of Disclosure Scotland but rather CI advice for safe recruitment good practice.
In light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the pressures on both Disclosure Scotland and care services, the CI have decided to retract this advice at this time and will review it once the pandemic is ended. Therefore, you no longer need to routinely review PVG Scheme membership every three years. However, where an existing employee is moving into a new role, you should risk assess this and consider whether there is a specific need to get a PVG update. Where someone has previously only been a member of the PVG scheme for children and will now be working with vulnerable adults (or the other way round) an application to join the appropriate scheme must still be made. If you have any questions in relation to this please contact your inspector. You can read more about PVG on the CI webpage here.