The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) lifetime membership is ending on 1 April 2026. From that date, individuals who join the PVG scheme will automatically be part of the Five-Year PVG scheme membership. Renewal will be required every five years.

1 April 2026 and moving existing PVG scheme members to a five-year membership 

From 1 April 2026, new PVG scheme memberships will last five years from the date of joining and applications made to the PVG scheme by existing members will move individuals over to a five-year membership, ending their lifetime membership. 

Those who do not make an application will be moved to a five-year membership by Disclosure Scotland in phases. Transitions will take place in “join order,” starting with those who joined in 2011 and progressing to the most recent joiners.  No action is required from applicants or clubs, as Disclosure Scotland will contact individuals directly. 

What clubs can do to help make the transition go smoothly

Club Safeguarding Officers should contact all current PVG Scheme members to notify them that they should ensure that Disclosure Scotland holds their current contact details.  Anyone who has moved house or changed their email address or phone number must notify Disclosure Scotland as soon as possible. 

If an individual is no longer in a regulated role for a club, the club Safeguarding Officer must notify Paddle Scotland. The individual must also notify Disclosure Scotland if they are leaving all regulated roles within paddle sports.

How to leave the PVG scheme

To leave the scheme, email dsupdate@disclosurescotland.gov.scot.

Include your:

• name
• date of birth
• mother’s maiden name

Before ending your membership, Disclosure Scotland will contact Paddle Scotland to confirm you've stopped a regulated role.

If you carry out a regulated role in the future you will need to join the scheme again.

Renewal process will be separate from PVG scheme application process

Every five years, renewal of your PVG scheme membership will be required. Renewing your PVG scheme membership will be a separate process from submitting a PVG scheme application.  Renewals will be made through your online account, with an offline process in place for anyone who is unable to use the digital service. You can read more on Disclosure Scotland’s website. 

Disclosure Scotland's email notifications will be updated to reflect the five-year membership period, you can see an example email notification below, where the individual’s membership expires on 1 May 2031.