Disclosures

The Scout Association uses Compass to process all disclosure checks for adult volunteers in England and Wales.

Many roles in Scouting can process a new volunteer's disclosure check on Compass.

User guides

View the user guide for requesting a disclosure check on Compass for more information. This user guide can also be found with all other Compass user guides on www.scouts.org.uk/compass

ID Checking Form

The ID Checking Form, for use offline can be found here.

The Privacy Policy of The Scout Association can be found here.
Guidance for the storing and destroying of adult appointment forms (FS310610) can be found here.
The Statement of Fair Processing can be downloaded here.
The Secure Storage and Handling guidance can be downloaded here.

Further information

For specific concerns, contact the Scout Information Centre on info.centre@scout.org.uk or 0845 300 1818.

Update Service - applies to England and Wales only

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formally known as the CRB) now offer an ‘Update Service’, which allows a status check of criminal records disclosures between organisations.

The Scout Association has worked with the DBS to understand if their Update Service can work for volunteers wishing to join Scouting, based on the level of disclosure required by us. Currently we have no plans to take part in the Update Service and any members joining The Scout Association will need to do a separate DBS check to comply with the level of check required.

This decision has been taken for the following reasons:

Getting the right level of DBS check for Scouting

• There are now five types of enhanced DBS checks and there is a legal obligation on Scouting to ensure only people with the appropriate check are permitted to engage in certain duties. Many individuals with a DBS check from another organisation will be of the wrong level for Scouting and therefore not portable.
• Check out the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) video explaining the Disclosure application process, it outlines the work they do at DBS and focuses on how standard and enhanced certificates are produced and the various stages of an application.
  

Additional administration

• An applicant wishing to use the Update Service would need to present their original disclosure certificate to ensure it is of the correct level of check and have their ID verified. This is in addition to completing the Association’s own membership forms. Currently we conduct a DBS check from the one membership form and can immediately ensure is appropriate to the role and meets the legal requirements
• In the event that an individual using the Update Service had information held on their DBS certificate it would need to be sent to The Scout Association HQ, which does not help speed up our appointment process.
• In the event that an individual using the Update Service did not have the correct check for Scouting it would open local Scouting up to more bureaucracy and delay than the current system.

Costs for the individual

• Individuals who register for the Update Service using a DBS check conducted as a volunteer will be free. If they then wish to use this check for an employed role (where a DBS check is normally charged for, but covered by the employee) they may find themselves having to pay a fee.

We will be monitoring how the Update Service works for those organisations that do use it and welcome feedback from members who make use of the scheme in other sectors and will be raising the need for a more effective system with the government at every opportunity.