31st July 2023
Fee waiver for PVG’s for new roles in Childcare Profession until 31 March 2024
The Scottish Government is providing the childcare profession with cost of living support, by covering the cost of PVG checks for anyone starting a new childcare role from 1 August 2023 – 31 March 2024.
What does this mean?
Anyone starting a new role in childcare, including childminders are eligible to have their applications for the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme paid by the Scottish Government if you apply between 1 August 2023 and 31 March 2024.
The Scottish Government has introduced these measures to support individuals through the cost of living challenges and to remove any barriers to people joining the sector. We will cover the cost of Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) checks for people in eligible roles, which are set out below.
PVG checks cost between £18 and £59. You can find out more about fees for PVG checks on the Disclosure Scotland website.
Eligibility
To qualify for PVG fees to be waived, the person applying for the role must:
- be starting a new job or taking up a new position with your existing employer in an eligible role (see below), AND
- apply for a PVG check between 1 August 2023 and no later than 31 March 2024 – any applications outside these dates will not be eligible. All applications must be received by 31 March 2024.
In all other cases, for example if you have a policy of periodically re-checking your existing staff, the PVG costs must be paid as normal.
Eligible roles
To be eligible for this fee waiver, you must be working in a paid role that requires registration with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) under the Day Care of Children category, or register as a childminder or childminding assistant with the Care Inspectorate (CI).
Any paid childcare roles that do not require registration with CI or SSSC, including auxiliary or administrative roles in childcare services, are not eligible for this fee waiver. These roles are not eligible because the focus of these measures are on professional childcare roles.
How to apply
If your role is eligible, you can complete the Online PVG Application Request Form to start the process of applying for your free PVG.
Please note, within the ‘position applied for’ field, you must type in “FCC” followed by the name of the actual position. We will use this to ensure you are not charged for your application.
Volunteer roles within childcare providers who are enrolled with VSDS should apply as normal. The process of applying for these is unchanged.
Contact
If you have any questions about this fee waiver, please email: vsdstraining@volunteerscotland.org.uk