Disclosure Scotland provides an accurate and responsive disclosure service to enhance security, public safety and protect the vulnerable in society
Disclosure Scotland is a service provided by Scottish Ministers to manage and operate the Disclosure service in Scotland, as provided for in Part V of the Police Act 1997. From 1st April 2009, Disclosure Scotland became a Scottish Government agency, which will plan, then manage and operate the new vetting and barring service, as provided for in the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.
Update on Turnaround Times
29th June 2009
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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. Where this level of contact is not a feature of the work done, organisations may be eligible to seek standard disclosure checks where the criteria are met.
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.
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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.
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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.
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MISSING OR UNDELIVERED APPLICATIONS
3rd April 2009
Royal Mail Charges
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
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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 the following:
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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.
Privacy Statement
1st March 2009
Disclosure Scotland has a 'privacy statement' which explains your rights, as a Disclosure Scotland customer, under the Data Protection Act 1998. It explains why we require your personal data, and what you can expect from us in terms of our Data Protection responsibilities. This applies whether we hold your information on paper or in electronic format. Data is securely stored for a period of ten years and we have valid registration under Data Privacy Legislation.
Privacy Statement:
Disclosure Scotland is fully committed to compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and all our operations and processes are in accordance with the Act. We require information from you, police forces and police records to prevent crime and to protect the vulnerable. It will only be disclosed to legitimate organisations who have a legal right to have access to this information under Part V of the Police Act 1997, or can display a legal right to do so. Disclosure Scotland reserves the right to share information with the police where it believes a crime may have been committed. The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) creates safeguards which protect information about you and creates rights for you to access it.
The Act also places obligations on organisations who control the data (these are referred to as data controllers).
The following principles apply when we handle your personal information:
Overall Principles:
- Your personal information is only processed with your knowledge
- Only information we need is collected and processed
- Your personal information is only seen by those who need it to do their jobs
- Personal information is retained only for as long as it is required
- Decisions affecting you are made on the basis of reliable and up to date information
- Your information is protected from unauthorised or accidental disclosure
- Inaccurate or misleading data will be corrected as soon as possible
- Procedures are in place for dealing promptly with any disputes
Registered Bodies using personal information must comply with the Data Protection Act and Disclosure Scotland's Code of Practice .
The Data Protection Act regulates how personal information is used and protects individuals from misuse of their personal details.
It provides a common-sense set of rules which prohibit the misuse of an individual’s personal information without stopping it being used for legitimate or beneficial purposes.
Data Protection Principles
– require personal information to be:
- fairly and lawfully processed;
- processed for limited purposes;
- adequate,relevant and not excessive;
- accurate;
- not kept longer than necessary;
- processed in accordance with your rights;
- kept secure;
- not transferred abroad without adequate protection.
For information on the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 |
Click HERE |
Do you have any complaints about Disclosure Scotland or do you wish to raise a dispute? |
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