Table Tennis Scotland (TTS) supports clubs to provide a safe and welcoming environment for everyone taking part in our sport.
PVG Scheme membership is a legal requirement for anyone carrying out a regulated role with children, protected adults or both. This applies to paid and voluntary roles.
The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme is managed by Disclosure Scotland and forms part of safer recruitment.
The requirement depends on the activities someone carries out and whether contact with children or protected adults is a necessary part of their role. Contact can include communication or exercising power or influence, as well as physical contact. For PVG purposes, a child is anyone under 18.
Examples in table tennis include:
People responsible for the day-to-day management or supervision of someone in a regulated role may also require membership.
Not every club member or volunteer needs a PVG check. Clubs must assess each role and should keep a written record of the decision. A blanket approach to checking everyone is not appropriate; requesting a PVG disclosure for a role that is not regulated can be unlawful. Setting up tables or playing alongside junior members does not, by itself, make a role regulated.
Clubs should assess each role using Disclosure Scotland’s role checker and guidance. Being a volunteer, parent or supervised assistant does not automatically remove the requirement. Contact Disclosure Scotland for guidance if unsure.
Before someone starts a regulated role, they must hold PVG Scheme membership for the relevant group, and the organisation responsible for assessing their suitability must have applied for and received the appropriate PVG disclosure. Submitting an application or completing a risk assessment does not replace these requirements.
A PVG check is one part of safer recruitment. Clubs must also consider suitability, references, training, supervision and their wider safeguarding arrangements.
For regulated roles with a fully affiliated TTS club, your club arranges the PVG process through TTS.
TTS provides PVG checks free of charge for volunteers at fully affiliated TTS clubs.
Wait for confirmation through your club that the required checks and recruitment process are complete before starting a regulated role.
Clubs needing help to arrange a check should contact info@tabletennisscotland.co.uk
Disclosure Scotland introduced five-year PVG Scheme membership from 1 April 2026, with existing members moving to the new arrangements in stages. Follow the renewal instructions and dates provided by Disclosure Scotland, alongside any additional TTS checking requirements.
Tell your club if your role changes, you move clubs or you stop volunteering or working in the role. Your club should contact TTS about any further checks or updates required.
Yes. An organisation taking you on in a regulated role must obtain the appropriate PVG disclosure, even if you already hold membership through work or another sport. Tell your club about your existing membership so the correct application can be arranged.
It depends on your duties and whether the role meets the regulated-role criteria. Helping occasionally does not automatically make you exempt. Your club should assess the role using Disclosure Scotland’s guidance before you begin.
You must not carry out a regulated role while waiting for the required checks to be completed. Your club can discuss other suitable tasks with you in the meantime.
Not necessarily. Coaching adults does not automatically require PVG Scheme membership. The role must meet the legal criteria for working with protected adults, which has a specific legal meaning. Use Disclosure Scotland’s role checker or contact Disclosure Scotland for guidance.
PVG Scheme membership becomes a legal requirement at 16 for someone carrying out a regulated role. In qualifying circumstances, young people can apply from 15 years and 8 months if their activities will continue beyond their 16th birthday; these applications use Disclosure Scotland’s offline process. Clubs should provide suitable duties and supervision and consult the sport-sector guidance before arranging an application.
No. PVG Scheme membership relates to regulated roles with children or protected adults. A TTS Coach Licence also checks coaching qualifications, relevant training and other licensing requirements.
Some do, but committee membership alone does not determine eligibility. Clubs must assess each person’s responsibilities, the club’s purposes and any relevant contact, including decision-making that exercises power or influence over children or protected adults. Disclosure Scotland’s sport-sector guidance includes examples to help clubs assess these roles.
If you carry out a regulated role solely for private individuals, such as parents arranging coaching for their child, follow Disclosure Scotland’s self-employed application guidance for a Confirmation of PVG Scheme Membership. If you coach under contract for a club or another organisation, that organisation must arrange the appropriate disclosure.
Managing PVG records may feel unfamiliar at first, particularly for volunteers taking on these responsibilities. TTS provides support to help clubs keep track of their checks and records.
Club Welfare and Safeguarding Officers receive regular TTS PVG Extracts. These club-specific reports help you review the individuals recorded for your club, monitor application progress and identify renewals or checks that need follow-up.
Use the extracts alongside your club’s own records, and let TTS know when someone’s role changes or they leave the club. If you need help accessing or understanding your extract, the TTS Admin Team can guide you through it.
Watch the walkthrough: accessing and managing your club’s PVG extract
For the full guidance and practical examples, read Disclosure Scotland’s Guidance for the sport sector. Use their role checker and PVG Scheme information for further help, or contact Disclosure Scotland with general questions about legal requirements.
Disclosure Scotland: guidance for the sport sector
Check whether a role needs PVG Scheme membership
PVG applications for self-employed coaches
To arrange a PVG application through Table Tennis Scotland, speak to your affiliated club’s committee first. They will help arrange the application through TTS and explain the next steps.
Clubs needing support with the TTS application process can contact info@tabletennisscotland.co.uk.
For the full guidance and practical examples, read Disclosure Scotland’s Guidance for the sport sector. Use their role checker and PVG Scheme information for further help, or contact Disclosure Scotland with general questions about legal requirements.
Disclosure Scotland: guidance for the sport sector
Check whether a role needs PVG Scheme membership
PVG applications for self-employed coaches
To arrange a PVG application through Table Tennis Scotland, speak to your affiliated club’s committee first. They will help arrange the application through TTS and explain the next steps.
Clubs needing support with the TTS application process can contact info@tabletennisscotland.co.uk