Latest News
Update on Turnaround Times
26th July 2010
As of 26/7/10, a turnaround time of approximately 8 days should be expected for a correctly completed application with no further enquiries.
Disclosure Scotland has a Service Level Agreement to produce 90% of all types of Disclosure within 14 calendar days. This is measured from the day we receive the application to the day of despatch. Applications that are sent via a Registered Body or an Umbrella Body can spend time being processed by these organisations prior to being received at Disclosure Scotland. Factors that can delay the processing of a Disclosure include:-
- incomplete information provided (please see our Helpful Hints on how to complete an application form);
- inability to authenticate at Home Address (particularly for Basics, please provide COPIES (NOT originals) of some form of official documentation showing your current name and current address e.g. Utility Bill, Bank Statement);
- where Disclosure Scotland needs to carry out further enquiries, especially in respect of Enhanced Disclosures.. This can be due to nominal details, address details, or if the applicant has had any dealings with the police in the past. Under legislation, we are also obliged to contact other government organisations to obtain information, in order to determine whether there is any information held that is relevant to the post applied for
Royal Mail introduce new charges
1st April 2010
Please be aware that new prices for Royal Mail products and services come into effect on Tuesday 6th April 2010. The website on this recent notification is www.royalmail.com/prices2010 contact number 08457 950950.
If there is insufficient postage on your mail to Disclosure Scotland, Royal Mail WILL NOT deliver the items (letters/packets etc) to us. We cannot therefore be held accountable for mail not received.
Royal Mail will retain them for a period of up to six weeks before initiating their 'return to sender' policy. It is recommended therefore that you endorse the envelope with sender details so that Royal Mail can return such mail direct to you.
If you do not endorse the sender details on the envelope, Royal Mail will open it in an effort to identify the sender.
If you contact us to enquire about the progress of your Disclosure Application and we have no record of having received the items, you should contact Royal Mail to investigate. Royal Mail Customer Services can be contacted on 08457 740 740
It is your responsibility therefore, to ensure that the correct postage is paid on your item(s), taking into account both Weight and Size of the package.
Care should be taken in sending supporting documentation (copies of Birth Certificates/Tax/Bank Statements etc). as failure to comply with Royal Mail's charging policy could result in these being lost.
The most common error is when a standard 1st class stamp is attached to a large A4 envelope, which is not sufficient.
Customer Survey
29th March 2010
Disclosure Scotland will be carrying out its biannual customer satisfaction telephone survey in April. The purpose of the survey is to gather information about customer's perceptions of, and level of satisfaction with, services provided by us.
The survey will be carried out, on our behalf, by George Street Research. The survey will be a statistically random sample of individuals who are responsible for making applications to Disclosure Scotland on behalf of a registered body. This is an opportunity for our customers to voice their opinions about Disclosure Scotland, our service and to help us make improvements.
The survey is not compulsory and anyone contacted by George Street Research can decline to take part.
The only information provided to George Street Research by Disclosure Scotland about the Registered Body is their name, business address and contact telephone number. This is in line with the our Privacy and Data Protection Policies.
Credit Card Payment Changes
5th March 2010
From 5th March 2010, Disclosure Scotland has implemented the credit card industry security standard, “3D-Secure” as part of the payment processing functionality for Basic Disclosures On-Line. “3-D Secure” is a security feature which ensures that payments using certain credit and debit cards are authenticated by the card holder with their bank at the time of the transaction.
If you have previously registered your card for "3-D Secure" you will be required to provide your "3D Secure" password as part of the on-line payment process.
If your bank or card provider supports the scheme, but you have not registered your card, you will be asked to do so as part of the on-line payment process.
Extra protection for vulnerable groups
10th of November 2009
Children’s Minister unveils new checks scheme for people working with children and vulnerable adults.
A new scheme that will better safeguard vulnerable groups and end the need for people to complete detailed application forms every time a disclosure check is required was announced today.
The scheme will:
- Improve on current disclosure arrangements by replacing the need for multiple ‘one-off’ checks – which currently cost £23 a time – with a system that continually updates relevant information.
- Ensure that people who become unsuitable during their employment are quickly identified.
- Allow employers to check records quickly and easily while reducing the time and cost demands on individuals when their circumstances change.
A consultation on key elements of the secondary legislation required to implement the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme was launched today. It is expected the scheme will be introduced before the end of 2010, with implementation being phased in to minimise the administrative burden on individual organisations.
Initial membership will cost £59 with a lower fee of £18 for subsequent records updates - substantially less than in England and less than the existing cost of an enhanced disclosure check and these will be turned around almost instantly.
All PVG Scheme Record Disclosures and Updates will continue to be free for volunteers working in regulated work in the voluntary sector.
Minister for Children and Early Years Adam Ingram said:
“Tragedies such as the Soham murders bring into focus the need to safeguard vulnerable people from the small number of unscrupulous individuals who betray the trust we place in them.
“These reforms will strengthen our ongoing work to support vulnerable children and adults by ensuring those who are unsuitable are not given positions of responsibility while those against whom concerns are raised are detected earlier and are prevented from continuing to work with them. These reforms will produce a more robust but equally a more streamlined system that strikes the right balance between protecting those who need it without hindering those looking to help.”
New Corporate Plan Launched
2nd of November 2009
Disclosure Scotland has published it's first Corporate Plan. It is one of the requirements of Agency status and is part of Disclosure Scotland’s reporting to stakeholders.
The Corporate Plan highlights in more detail the main considerations, the performance of Disclosure Scotland and the changes that Disclosure Scotland is making as an organisation. It also sets out the relationship between those key changes and the National Outcomes of the Scottish Government to which it contributes.
To see a copy of the plan, click here.
Royal Mail Industrial Action
19th of October 2009
There is industrial action involving Royal Mail staff at the moment. This may have an impact on mail delivery and pick up at Disclosure Scotland. Disclosure Scotland will do all it can to minimise any delays but ultimately mailing services will depend on the outcome of the negotiations
Customers should contact us to see if we have received their application, prior to any re-applying. Please note that if customers re-apply, the same situation could occur and create additional applications, which, if they are processed, they would be charged for.
Framework Document 2009
20th August 2009
On Thursday the 20th of August, Disclosure Scotland published its Framework Document. The Framework Document sets out the vision and objectives of Disclosure Scotland and outlines the relationships between Ministers, the Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland, and the Director General Education within the Scottish Government. It describes Disclosure Scotland’s financial and wider accountabilities, and its approach to staffing and other organisational matters. In short, it sets the broad basis on which Disclosure Scotland will operate.
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Important Information - Price Increase
6th July 2009
Please be advised that Scottish Ministers have laid a Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI) that means that the fee for a Disclosure application will increase from £20 to £23 on 1 August 2009 when the SSI comes into force.
As a result all Disclosure Scotland applications received on or after 1 August 2009 will be charged at £23.
Applications received prior to 1 August 2009 that are incorrectly completed, or require further information and that are returned to you and resubmitted arriving on or after 1 August 2009 will be charged at £23. Any applications received with a cheque or postal order with the incorrect amount will be returned. Invoices will reflect the new costs on your August Statements for applications received as per the arrangements mentioned above.
Online Basic applications made from 1 August 2009 will be charged at £23.
Those organisations who use the B2B method will from the 1 August 2009 be charged at £23.
This is only the second increase since the Disclosure Scotland service was introduced in April 2002. It will contribute to increases in Disclosure Scotland’s running costs. Disclosure applications for volunteers working in the voluntary sector with children or adults at risk will still be provided at no costs to the individual or the voluntary organisation concerned.
Update on Rehabilitation of Offenders Act
31st July 2009
The Scottish Ministers have introduced an Order which contains to amend the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exclusions and Exceptions) (Scotland) Order 2003 to add employment or work concerned with the provision of “social care services” on a one-to-one basis for adults at risk to the 2003 Order.
The Amendment Order has been approved by the Parliament, and when the ROA Order is read with the Police Act Regulations, it will mean that certain individuals undertaking paid or unpaid work which is classed as a “social care service” will be eligible for enhanced disclosures.
For details of the relevant legislation, please click on the link below:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/ssi2009/pdf/ssi_20090271_en.pdf
New regulations affecting disclosure checks
4th June 2009
Pending parliamentary procedure, new regulations affecting disclosure checks are expected to come into force on 29 June.
Following audit compliance work by Disclosure Scotland, it came to light that some positions fall outwith the criteria to access enhanced disclosure checks as set out in current legislation. The problem stemmed from having no defined meaning of a “social care service” for persons working with adults at risk. Some examples of the positions affected include providing advocacy support services, befriending, social inclusion-type support, homelessness, and where services are provided due to age or condition i.e. due to disability, health or age-related circumstances.
The intention remains that eligibility for the higher levels of disclosure check should be proportionate in relation to the work to be undertaken. Scottish Ministers have therefore expedited a legislative solution that would act as a bridge between the current legislation and the introduction of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.
The effect of these changes will be to ensure that organisations providing “social care services” which involve staff (paid or voluntary) in positions having unsupervised one-to-one contact with an “adult at risk” as part of their normal duties can legitimately seek an enhanced disclosure.
The draft Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exclusions and Exceptions) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2009 can be accessed at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/dssi26-05
Further information will be provided in due course.
Important Information - Potential Price Increase
30th March 2009
Subject to the approval of the Scottish Parliament, the fee for all levels of Disclosure Applications is expected to rise, by £3, to £23, on the 1st of August 2009.
Disclosure Scotland’s fees last increased in 2006, since when it has been possible to absorb inflationary costs and develop our infrastructure to meet the rising demand for disclosures.
The increase is driven entirely by external pressures and we have, regrettably, had to make this decision in order to continue providing our accurate and quality service.
A Parliamentary Question announcing the proposal to bring about the fee increase was answered on 31st of March 2009. Subject to Parliamentary approval, further information on the fee increase and the actions you will need to take will follow. Disclosure fees for volunteers working in the voluntary sector will continue to be available free of charge.
New Chief Executive Starts
30th March 2009
Disclosure Scotland welcomed its new Chief Executive, David Patel, this week (w/c 30th March 2009). Until recently, David was the Head of Bus, Road Safety and Local Roads Policy Division at the Scottish Government's Transport Directorate. David is an economist to trade; he joined the Government Economic Service in 1990, with the Department of Employment. He then moved to the Scottish Office, which included secondments to the European Commission and to Glasgow Housing Association. David has had a variety of posts, including in the Scottish Office Industry Department, in Agriculture, and with the Chief Economist’s office and the Policy Unit. His took up a senior civil service role in 2003, dealing amongst other things with analysis for the spending review and the local government settlement. Before taking up his post as the Chief Executive at Disclosure Scotland, David's last role at Transport involved bus and concessionary fares policy, a road safety strategy for Scotland, and removal of tolls at the Forth and Tay Road Bridges.
Royal Mail Charges
30th March 2009
Please be aware that due to significant changes introduced by Royal Mail, increased charges apply to both SIZE and WEIGHT of the envelopes/items you send. These changes take effect from the 6th of April 2009.
If there is insufficient postage on your mail to Disclosure Scotland, Royal Mail WILL NOT deliver the items (letters/packets etc) to us. We cannot therefore be held accountable for mail not received.
Royal Mail will retain them for a period of up to six weeks before initiating their 'return to sender' policy. It is recommended therefore that you endorse the envelope with sender details so that Royal Mail can return such mail direct to you.
If you do not endorse the sender details on the envelope, Royal Mail will open it in an effort to identify the sender.
If you contact us to enquire about the progress of your Disclosure Application and we have no record of having received the items, you should contact Royal Mail to investigate. Royal Mail Customer Services can be contacted on 08457 740 740
It is your responsibility therefore, to ensure that the correct postage is paid on your item(s), taking into account both Weight and Size of the package.
Care should be taken in sending supporting documentation (copies of Birth Certificates/Tax/Bank Statements etc). as failure to comply with Royal Mail's charging policy could result in these being lost.
The most common error is when a standard 1st class stamp is attached to a large A4 envelope, which is not sufficient. An envelope of this size requires at least a 61p stamp (prices as of 06 April 2009) depending on the weight of the items.
Postal Charge information can be found on http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/jump2?catId=400023&mediaId=11200122
Important - Changes to Basic Disclosure Process - Confirmation of birth details
This change applies to applications received on/after 19 January 2009.
Please note that if you are applying for a Basic Disclosure, when returning the completed form to Disclosure Scotland you should provide copies of 3 forms of identification, including:
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A COPY of a utility bill or similar, confirming your current address detail
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A COPY of an official document e.g. birth certificate, passport or driving licence, which confirms your Date of Birth details.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND ORIGINALS
Failure to provide this information will delay the processing of your application.
Please do not hesitate to contact us on our helpline number 0870 609 6006 (Monday to Friday 0800 - 1800) if you have any queries.
