If you volunteer with a community group, PTA, parent council, school or sports club in Scotland, this page answers the most common questions about PVG checks: what they are, whether you need one and what happens next. If you sit on a committee and need to set up checks for your whole group, read our full guide instead: PVG Checks for Volunteers: Do Them First.

What is PVG?

PVG stands for Protecting Vulnerable Groups. It is Scotland's scheme for checking people who work or volunteer with children. Since April 2025 it is a legal requirement, not optional, for anyone in a regulated role with children. If your role is regulated, you must have PVG membership for the organisation you are volunteering with. It protects children and it protects you.

This applies to any group running activities for children, not just schools. A Friends of the park group running a children's fun day needs to check its volunteers in the same way as a parent council running a disco.

Do you need one? Quick check

You need a PVG check if your volunteer role involves:

  • Supervising children (discos, movie nights, school or community events)
  • Running a children's event in a park, community hall or other venue
  • Running a tuck shop or stall for children on your own, with no staff or other adults around
  • Driving or escorting children to away matches or trips
  • Providing first aid or care to children
  • Running a breakfast club or after school activity
  • Coaching or instructing children in sports or activities
  • Being in a standby pool to cover any of the above roles

You probably do not need one if you:

  • Set up or take down equipment when children are not present
  • Handle money or admin in the background with no child contact
  • Go to parent council or committee meetings
  • Provide recommendations to the school about activities
  • Sell sweets or snacks at a busy stall at a community event, with other adults around
  • Help at a stall where parents stay with their children the whole time
  • Serve refreshments at adult only events

On the committee? Being on the committee does not need a check on its own. If you decide how children's activities are run, such as organising the disco or the holiday club, you do, even if you are not there on the day. Ask Volunteer Scotland Disclosure Services if you are not sure.

Unsure? Ask your committee to run your role through the five step assessment in the full guide. Do not apply just in case: requesting a check for a role that does not need one is an offence, so if it is unclear, ask Volunteer Scotland Disclosure Services first.

The timeline: when to submit, how long it takes

Submit applications

Before the summer break, or at least six weeks before your first event

Processing time

From submission date · 4 to 6 weeks minimum

Confirmation arrives

Around six weeks later. September and October are the busiest months, so it can take longer

You can start the role

Only after confirmation received

Membership valid for

From the date you join the scheme · 5 years

Countdown to renewal begins

Do not submit an application the week before an event. You will not have confirmation in time. The volunteer cannot start until the group has written confirmation from Volunteer Scotland.

The costs

Free for volunteers and committees if your group is a non profit, volunteer run group. Your committee enrols once with Volunteer Scotland Disclosure Services. If you are unsure whether your group qualifies, ask them.

Key numbers to remember

  • 4 to 6 weeks: minimum processing time for applications
  • 5 years: how long PVG membership lasts, for anyone joining from 1 April 2026
  • 1 per organisation: each volunteer needs a separate disclosure for each group they volunteer with. You cannot transfer a disclosure from another organisation.
  • 1 April 2026: when five year membership started. If you joined before then, Disclosure Scotland will contact you when your membership moves to five years, so you do not need to reapply.
  • Before the summer break: the best time for your committee to submit applications, ahead of the busy September and October period.

What to do next

  1. Ask your committee whether your role needs a PVG check. Use the quick check above.
  2. If yes, tell them you are interested in volunteering and they will start your application.
  3. You will receive an email asking you to verify your identity and provide information. Respond promptly.
  4. Wait 4 to 6 weeks for confirmation.
  5. Once confirmed, you can start your role.

Common questions

Q: Can I volunteer while my PVG check is being processed?

A: No. You cannot start a regulated role until your confirmation has arrived. Being in progress does not count. The group needs written confirmation from Volunteer Scotland.

Q: I have PVG membership from my job or another organisation. Can I use that for this group?

A: No. PVG membership belongs to you, but the disclosure belongs to the relationship between you and one organisation. You need a separate disclosure for each group you volunteer with. The good news: if you already have PVG membership, your new disclosure processes faster. It is an update rather than a new application.

Q: How does the committee track who is cleared and when memberships expire?

A: A simple spreadsheet with columns for volunteer name, role, confirmation date and expiry date (five years from when the volunteer joined the scheme). It gets updated as confirmations arrive and reviewed at the start of every year.

Q: What if the group discovers mid year that checks have not been done?

A: The committee should do the assessment today and submit applications now. The next event should run on volunteers who are already cleared, or be postponed if there are not enough. The full guide has catch up advice.

This page covers Scotland only. Last updated 13 October 2026.