Delays in background checks for care workers are causing significant disruptions in the industry, affecting vulnerable populations.
Edinburgh: The care industry is really feeling the heat right now. There are major delays in background checks for new employees wanting to work with kids and vulnerable adults. It’s causing a bit of a mess.
Thousands of applications for the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) assessments are taking way longer than the usual 14 days. This is making it tough for places like nurseries to plan ahead.
Martin Whitfield, the Labour MP for East Lothian, is pretty upset about it. He pointed out that a smooth disclosure system is crucial for public safety. He’s calling on the SNP to sort this crisis out quickly.
These delays came to light thanks to a Freedom of Information request by the Sunday Mail. They found that out of 333,680 applications from last April to October, over 13,500 took longer than the target time.
Whitfield didn’t hold back, saying, “This system is in crisis.” It’s clear that something needs to change, and fast.
In the past, Scottish Labour has claimed that Disclosure Scotland is in “chaos.” They’ve spent over £100 million on temporary staff in just 12 years. Back in 2012, they paid about £1.9 million for temporary workers, but by 2018, that number skyrocketed to nearly £40 million.
Just this year, they’ve already shelled out another £9.2 million on agency and contractor staff. It’s a lot of money, and it’s clear that the wait times for criminal record checks have been getting longer over the years.
The Scottish Government has said they’re committed to fully funding Disclosure Scotland. They claim that between April and October 2024, nearly 96% of applications were processed on time. But they also mentioned that sometimes extra steps are needed, which can slow things down.
So, it looks like the care industry is in a bit of a pickle right now. Let’s hope they can get things sorted out soon!
