Disclosure Scotland is a Scottish Government agency that issues criminal record checks and manages the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme to help employers make safer recruitment decisions, particularly for roles involving children and protected adults. The PVG scheme is a legal requirement for regulated roles and ensures individuals unsuitable for these roles cannot work with them, while other disclosure checks provide employers with criminal history information to assist in their hiring process. Recent changes under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 make PVG membership mandatory for regulated roles and will transition it to a 5-year, time-limited membership from April 2026.
