Individuals
Find out how disclosure affects you and the types you can apply for.
Employers
Find out more about types of disclosures, and request forms and guides.
How long will it take to receive my certificate?
26th July 2010
As of 26/07/2010, a turnaround time of approximately 8 days should be expected for a correctly completed application with no further enquiries.
Disclosure Scotland works within a Service Level Agreement to produce 90% of all types of Disclosure, for a correctly completed application with no further enquiries, within 14 calendar days. This is measured from the day we receive the application to the day of dispatch. Certificates are dispatched 1st class Royal Mail postage.
As some applications may require further enquires, these applications may take longer than our quoted average turnaround time.
PVG Scheme Guidance materials now available.
20th July 2010
Guidance and training materials for the PVG Scheme for organisations, individuals and personal employers are now available here. Over the coming weeks and months, additional materials will be made available to help organisations plan for the introduction of the PVG Scheme. These will include a modular training package and an assessment tool to help employers to determine whether a post is within the scope of the PVG Scheme.
A dedicated PVG Scheme help service, operated by Disclosure Scotland, is now live. The PVG Scheme telephone helpline number is 0870 609 6006 and the PVG Scheme email help service address is pvg.enquiries@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Important Customer Notices
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.
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.
Absolute Discharge
5th January 2010
All criminal information which has a disposal of Absolute Discharge will now be issued as conviction information under the requirements of the Police Act 1997. This means that all cases disposed of at court by the issue of an Absolute Discharge Disposal will now be disclosed on all Enhanced and Standard Disclosure Certificates and will be disclosed on Basic Disclosure Certificates if the case remains unspent in terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 at the time of the disclosure. This information will be disclosed irrespective of whether or not it was previously withheld from any previously issued Disclosure Certificate. This change to the Disclosure Scotland process has been necessary to ensure that all absolute discharge disposals are treated as convictions as per the requirements of the Police Act 1997.
Overseas Applications and Posting of Certificates.
Please be aware that the £23.00 cost of a Disclosure includes the cost of First Class Postage within the United Kingdom. The need to supply application forms, or indeed Disclosure Certificates, outside of the UK was not envisaged, and is not reflected, in the overall cost of a Disclosure.
We currently have no agreement to send items outwith the UK.
Therefore any non-UK mail is sent via Surface Mail, not Airmail, and may take time to reach their destination. The customer can nominate, in writing, an alternative UK postal address which they would like the forms/certificate to be sent to, when they submit an application.’
Overseas Applications, Reprints Please note that from the 5th January 2010, the timescale for overseas applications for reprinted disclosure certificates will change from the current 10 days to 21 days.
