Brian Gorman, Dislosure Scotland manager, said, 'We have no backlog. Our service level agreement is that we'll turn around 90 per cent of disclosures within ten working days. If an applicant has an address history in England or Wales, or anything that indicates it might be worthwhile looking for additional information, we seek information from the English and Welsh police forces, who are responding to us well within the time-frame. We don't go through the Criminal Records Bureau, as we are doing the same job as them, but for Scotland.'
Mr Gorman said there was a one-off fee of 150 to register, plus Pounds 10 for each additional countersignatory, and applications were turned around within ten days. There are now 750 organisations registered with Disclosure Scotland, including a number of local authorities and care organisations.
John Anderson, senior professional officer for the Professional Association of Teachers and Professional Association of Nursery Nurses, said, 'They're doing much better than the Criminal Records Bureau. There's no backlog, and we haven't heard of problems on either the PAT or PANN side of things.'
Staff at One Stop Childcare, which provides services to parents in Wester Hailes and the West Edinburgh area, said that the new system had been working well for them. Flexible childcare services co-ordinator Susan Barker said, 'Part of my role is the recruitment of sessional staff. If the forms are filled in properly the checks are done within ten days. It seemed to take longer before.'
One Stop registered with Disclosure Scotland to be able to countersign applications for enhanced disclosures. Business support manager Lilian Ormiston said that registering had been a straightforward procedure. 'It was a necessary evil, and Disclosure Scotland was very helpful. We didn't consider looking for an umbrella organisation to act on our behalf.'
Ian McLaughlan, the chief executive of the Scottish Pre-School Play Association, said that while the organisation recognised the system was still in its early days, some member groups were finding it challenging to go through the process of filling out the application forms. The SPPA has registered with Disclosure Scotland and will countersign applications in areas where the local authority has provided funding for an SPPA development worker, who will work with groups to help them through the process.
However, about one-third of the SPPA's membership are located in parts of Scotland where there is no SPPA development worker. These groups can apply through Volunteer Development Scotland, and SPPA's central office will provide advice and support. The SPPA also has a number of private nursery members, who have to pay 150 and register themselves.
Mr Anderson of PAT and PANN said that while local authorities would act as the umbrella body for their schools and nurseries and countersign their applications, there was a question mark over whether they would offer the same service to partner providers in the private and voluntary sector.
It is understood that Angus council is one of the few local authorities that is currently considering this option. However, this could have substantial resource implications.
A spokesperson for Angus council said, 'We are in discussion with our partners in the private and voluntary sector with a view to easing the financial and administrative burden on them.'
Patricia McGinty, director of Bishopbriggs Childcare Centre in Glasgow and a director of the Scottish Independent Nurseries Association, said private nurseries across Scotland were in the process of registering with Disclosure Scotland. 'It's a real hassle and a huge responsibility,' she said.
