Criminal record checks FAQs

This depends on where you volunteer. Ideally, we’ll require at least one piece of photo ID. For more information on the criminal record checking process, please see the relevant country below for more information. 

• England and Wales
• British Scouting Overseas
• Scotland
• Northern Ireland

Your Lead Volunteer will direct you to the appropriate ID checker, as this varies depending on your role. Please note, your ID checker must not be a family member. Your Lead Volunteer can help you with any other queries as well. You can also speak to our team at UKHQ by emailing support@scouts.org.uk or live chat on our website. 

This is only possible in exceptional circumstances, if you have a lack of photo ID or if you’re a BSO applicant. Please visit how to apply for a Disclosure and Barring (DBS) to check for suitability. Speak with your Lead Volunteer if this is the case and they’ll contact the Safeguarding Team for advice.

Yes, you’ll need to complete a criminal record check for both the country you live in and the country you volunteer in.

We offer a number of ways to make sure volunteers who are transgender can complete their criminal record check without needing to disclose their gender identity if they don’t want to. You can find out more on our guidance for supporting trans volunteers with the criminal record checking process.

Where you Scout determines the agency that processes your criminal record check and the ID requirements. The ID checker can go through different combinations of ID required with you, as there are different routes you can take with your application. 

If you’ve never held the required identity documents for a criminal record check, your application can’t be completed online. Speak to your ID checker about the ID you hold and they will contact the Lead Volunteer. They will contact the Safeguarding Team for advice.

At Scouts, the safety of our young people and volunteers is our priority. Criminal record checks are a large part of how we make Scouts a safe environment.

New volunteers waiting for their criminal record check, and existing volunteers (whose checks have expired and are waiting for their repeat application) can only volunteer when supervised (being within hearing and sight distance) by another volunteer with a valid and in-date criminal record check.

However, you won’t be able to stay overnight until your new criminal record check is in place and the National Vetting Process is complete.

If you only volunteer very occasionally, for example a parent helping out every few months by making refreshments, you must always be supervised by another volunteer with a valid criminal record check. You can’t volunteer to stay at an overnight event either.

Scouts is an inclusive organisation and we welcome members from all backgrounds, but we need to do criminal record checks to keep Scouts safe.

Your criminal record check will show past convictions, cautions, offences, reprimands and final warnings. It may also show information that statutory agencies wish to make Scouts aware of.

Criminal record checks then help us decide whether potential volunteers are appropriate for Scouts or not.

What we consider acceptable can be found in the Safeguarding, Vetting and Decision Guidance section within POR. This shows how we categorise and make decisions following a criminal record check.

This depends on whether there’s adverse information within your criminal record check, the type of check, and where you volunteer.

There are different stages after a criminal record check is complete:

First, UKHQ are notified whether your criminal record check is clear or not. Depending on where you volunteer, they’ll then ask to see an original copy of your criminal record check certificate, or automatically receive it from the appropriate agency.

The Safeguarding Team will then use the Safeguarding, Vetting and Decision Guidance to decide on next steps and who needs to be involved.

We don’t currently subscribe to the update service. We require enhanced checks for our volunteers, as part of creating a safe environment for our young people. As not all update subscriptions provide this option, the amount of suitable checks that could take place through this service at this time don’t warrant an organisation subscription.

Yes. Asylum seekers and refugees can have a criminal record check, however providing the right documents and address history might be a little challenging. 

Understand how you can support asylum seekers and refugees to volunteer at Scouts.

Sometimes the box to enter your details opens up behind the current screen. Try minimising your current screen and the box should appear.

Only the day of the birth or marriage certificate needs to be entered. For example, if the date is 01.05.1990, only 01 needs to be entered.

The last four characters of your driving licence should be the last two letters before the gap at the end and the two numbers after the gap. Try using both lower and upper case letters as it needs to match exactly what your ID checker entered. 
 
If you still can’t move on, it may be your ID checker has entered the details incorrectly. If this’s the case, please contact them as they’ll need to restart your application.

Search for the applicant in Atlantic Data by membership number only (without any leading zeros). Their first name should be in blue. Click on this and then on the tab 'Available Actions'. There’s an option to ‘Cancel Application’. Then, log back into scouts.org.uk. On the ‘Disclosures’ tab at the bottom left hand side of the screen, there will be a button that says ‘Request Disclosure’.

Check you’ve entered their email address correctly, and that emails aren’t going into spam/junk folders.

Less is more in Atlantic Data! Try searching using just the applicant’s membership number (without any leading zeros).

Search for the applicant in Atlantic Data by membership number only (without any leading zeros). Their first name should be in blue. Click on this and then on the tab 'Available Actions'. You should then see an option to resend the invite.

Changes to titles, names and dates of birth can be made by getting in touch with the Scouts Support Centre. Changes to postal addresses, postcodes and email addresses can be made locally online  by members with the appropriate access. 

Once any changes have been made, the application needs to be cancelled in Atlantic Data and a new application should be requested on scouts.org.uk. This’ll carry over a new application to Atlantic Data with the updated details.

If you search for the applicant in Atlantic Data the day after you’ve added them to scouts.org.uk, you should be able to find them. Please note, you won’t be able to see their membership record until their 18th birthday.

When first selecting a birth certificate as an ID document, Atlantic Data will ask if it was issued within or after 12 months of the applicant’s birth. This then prompts the next question. If the wrong answer’s given, click on ‘Choose alternative documents’ which will allow you to re-select the documents.

When first selecting that the birth certificate is being used as an ID document, Atlantic Data will ask if it was issued within or after 12 months of the applicant’s birth. This prompts the next questions that are asked. If the wrong answer was given, click on ‘Choose alternative documents’ which will allow you to re-select the documents.

You have to log into Atlantic Data successfully on the first try to proceed. Members who aren’t transferred over straight away will be picked up in an overnight update, so if you search for them in Atlantic Data the following day, you should be able to find them.

Unfortunately, there are known issues with this type of ID document and Atlantic Data doesn’t always accept this as a form of ID. Please ask the volunteer to provide another ID document instead.

The application needs to be cancelled in Atlantic Data and the nationality should be fixed on their membership record. A new application then needs to be requested from scouts.org.uk.