Under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020, membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme is a legal requirement for anyone carrying out a ‘regulated role’. Within the BB in Scotland, all volunteer roles are classified as regulated roles under the Act, including Battalion roles where individuals may not have direct contact with children and young people. As such, all volunteers are legally required to be members of the PVG scheme.

Application Process

The application Process for new and returning leaders consists of the following stages:

1. Registering a New or Returning Leader

New and returning leaders must complete a Leader Registration Form (LREG1-SCOT for Company appointments or LREG1-BATT for Battalion appointments). The completed form should be submitted to BB Headquarters by the Captain/Company Correspondent or Battalion Official. The Leader Registration form must be processed by BB Headquarters and an Online Brigade Manager (OBM) record created before a PVG application can be submitted.

As part of the application, the applicant’s identity must be verified by an authorised Identity Checker. This can be the Company Captain, Company Correspondent or Battalion Official. The Identity Checker must not be related to the applicant or live at the same address.

The Identity Checker must examine the applicant’s original identity documents (photocopies or digital copies are not acceptable) to confirm their full name, date of birth and current address. Identification must be provided using one of the following routes:

Route A: Photographic ID. One form of photographic ID confirming the applicant’s date of birth and one document confirming their current address (dated within 12 months, unless otherwise stated).

Route B: No Photographic ID. One document confirming the applicant’s date of birth plus two documents confirming their current address (dated within 12 months, unless otherwise stated).

Once the identity documents have been verified, the Identity Checker must complete the online PVG ID Checking Form. As part of this process, they will confirm that the applicant’s name, date of birth and address match the details on their Identity Documents and the LREG-Scot form. 

When the form has been submitted:

• The information is sent directly to BB Headquarters.
• Both the applicant and the Identity Checker will receive an email confirming receipt
• BB Headquarters will review the information and, if all requirements have been met, initiate the first stage of the online PVG application. If any additional information or clarification is required, the applicant and/or Identity Checker.

2. Completing the Disclosure Scotland Application

Once BB Headquarters has initiated the application, the applicant will receive an email from Disclosure Scotland containing a unique link to complete their online PVG application.

Please note: The link expires after 14 days, so applicants should check their inbox and junk/spam folders regularly.

The applicant must complete and submit the online application directly to Disclosure Scotland.

Once the application has been processed, the applicant will be able to view their disclosure result online. It is the applicant’s responsibility to use the share function to allow BB Headquarters to view the result. Disclosure Scotland does not automatically share the results with The Boys’ Brigade.

3. Completing Registration

Once BB Headquarters has confirmed that:

• The applicant has joined the PVG Scheme (or completed a Scheme Record Update, where applicable);
• A satisfactory PVG Scheme record or Scheme Record Update has been shared by the applicant with BB Headquarters
• All mandatory BB e-learning modules have been successfully completed;

The leader will receive an email confirming that they are permitted to volunteer. A registration card will then be sent by post, usually within 4–6 weeks.

Any Questions

If you have any questions about this process, please email us at support@boys-brigade.org.uk or phone 0300 303 4454.