The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) membership scheme helps ensure that people who are unsuitable to work with children and protected adults cannot do regulated work with these vulnerable groups.
Wellbeing and Protection
PVG and Safesport
PVG’s are Mandatory
From 1st April 2025, it is a criminal offence to start a regulated role without a PVG. The responsibility lies with the individual and the club jointly to comply.
Clubs must ensure no member begins a regulated role before their PVG is confirmed by Scottish Cycling and all club checks are complete.
To apply for PVG, the applicant must complete a PVG Application Form online, details below. Concurrently, the club ID Checker should complete an ID Checker Verification Form. Both forms should be submitted online, the links to these forms are below.
Who Needs a PVG?
Those who are applying for a Regulated Role in your club/group/association require a PVG check before starting in the role.
If they are PVG member through another organisation, eg work, another sport, then they will require to complete PVG application through us.
If they are a PVG member with another Scottish Cycling club, then they will require to apply to us through the PVG Application form, we will then add the new club to their profile. You are not permitted to undertake regulated work for other Scottish Cycling clubs without informing us.
The Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 introduced new assessment criteria for regulated roles. As a result, some Scottish Cycling roles that were previously non-regulated will now be classified as regulated.
Regulated Roles
| Club Committee – this section relates to committee’s of clubs with Under-18s or Protected Adults as members. | |
| Role | PVG Required |
| A general committee that makes decisions on behalf of the entire club/group/association; both youth and adult sections. | Yes |
| The youth sub-group of a committee who make strategic and operational decision that affect children/protected adults. | Yes |
| The committee are a part of a club/group/association which has a youth and adult section. The committee do not make strategic or operational decisions that affect children or protected adults, they simply ratify decisions taken by the youth sub-group/committee. | No |
| * Committees in clubs that do not have children or Protected Adult members do not require PVG. | |
| Role | PVG Required? |
| Coach/MTB Leader/Ride Leader delivering activity for children or protected adults | Yes |
| Activity Helper for children or protected adults | Yes |
| Youth activity coordinator/Head Coach | Yes |
| Commissaire | No |
| Event Organiser for events that include children or protected adult | No |
| Youth Event Photographer | No |
| Race Mechanic during youth race | No |
| Event Marshal | No |
| Event registration | No |
| Trail Therapy Volunteer | Yes |
If you have other roles not on this list please contact the Scottish Cycling Safeguarding team: [email protected]
PVG Check Process
In order for clubs to apply for PVG through Scottish CYlcing, they must first:
- Adopt, sign and return the PVG Processing Contract
- Sign and return the ID Checker Agreement
The process for PVG applications is as follows:
- Club completes recruitment process for a regulated role (ie application, interview (formal or informal), References) and decides to employ an individual.
- WPO sends applicant link to the PVG application form.
- Applicant completes online form and clicks ‘Submit’ in the form.
- WPO completes ID verification form, after verifying applicants ID, and clicks ‘Submit’ in the form.
- We receive both forms, confirm details and submit application to Disclosure Scotland (DS).
- Applicant receives PVG cert up to 2 weeks before we are notified (usually just a few days). This allows applicant time to check details and update DS if anything is incorrect.
- We receive the PVG and make a suitability decision for their employment with club (we may involve the club in this step depending on the information received).
- Club employs or is not allowed to employ individual.
Leaving a Regulated Role
If you are leaving a regulated role, or one of your members is, then please inform the Scottish Cycling Safeguarding team. We will then de-link them from Scottish Cycling, which will prevent any future data breaches should that individual commit an offence that requires ‘employers’ to be informed.
PVG Resources
Club/Group/Organisation Contracts and Agreements
Application Forms
ID Verification Application Form
Policy and Procedure
PVG and Suitability Decision Maker Policy and Procedure
Safe Recruitment Process – see appendix 3
Recruiting People with Convictions Policy – see appendix 3a
Disclosure Scotland Code of Practice – Disclosure Scotland’s Code of Practice – mygov.scot
Other Forms
Club/Group/Association Reference Form – we do not require copies of completed references, this template is to help with adhering to the Safe Recruitment Procedure