Letter: Protection clarity

Published on 26/10/2010 17:07

The claims made by the Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC) regarding the new Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme (your report, 25 October) are misleading and repeat misunderstandings which have already been addressed through far reaching consultation.

The PVG Scheme only applies to people who work with children and protected adults. It does not apply to parents helping their children and to personal arrangements that parents may make with friends and family to look after their child.

The examples provided by the SPTC for inclusion in the article are misleading.

The father of the physically disabled child boarding the school bus to fasten his daughter's seatbelt should not be required to be checked under the scheme. Neither would the parents wishing to hire the school hall outside of school hours with no opportunity for unsupervised contact with children.

Parent teacher councils or associations will not be required to be scheme members to raise funds for school equipment.

Parents who chaperone on school trips are unlikely to be required to be scheme members as most school trips also include a teacher who will be a member and who, therefore, is responsible for supervision of the children.

Requesting checks which are outside of the scope of the scheme is unlawful and Disclosure Scotland has a compliance team which works with its registered bodies to ensure they request and handle disclosures appropriately. Individuals who are concerned they may be being asked for a disclosure inappropriately should report the matter to Disclosure Scotland for further investigation.

To ensure employers fully understand the scope of the scheme, a comprehensive package of guidance and training is already available and this includes materials to help employers determine which posts will require membership.

Adam Ingram MSP

Minister for Children and Early Years

Holyrood, Edinburgh