Scottish charities want delay to police checks

Charities in Scotland have called for more stringent police checks on existing voluntary sector staff working with vulnerable people to be delayed by up to 10 years.

Russell Gunson, policy and communications officer at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, told the Scottish parliament this month that the delay was “the least worst option”.

Most voluntary groups could not cope with a shorter timeframe because of the added costs of doing checks on about 750,000 staff, he said.

But Michelle Miller, children’s convener for the Association of Directors of Social Work, said: “It’s very hard for us to conceive of an argument that says a new employee could pose more risk than a longstanding one.”

The executive is consulting over retrospective checks.