MEMBERS of parent-teacher associations and students who help to mentor younger children could soon be forced to undergo police checks to ensure they are not paedophiles.

Rules to be introduced at the end of the year could see up to 500,000 people who work with children vetted for convictions and inappropriate behaviour.

Last week, voluntary organisations, including the Girl Guides, the Scouts and the Boys Brigade, warned they could be forced to close as a result of the new checks, introduced by the Protection of Children Act (Scotland).

Although the act was passed almost two years ago, its powers have yet to be enforced. It was brought in following tragedies in Dunblane and Soham to ensure that people working with, or close to, children were properly vetted. The checks are carried out by Disclosure Scotland, a government agency, with the £13.60 cost picked up by the applicant or the voluntary body. Checks have been known to take up to two years to complete.

While legislation in England covers only regulated workers such as teachers and social workers, in Scotland all unregulated workers, including parent volunteers, will face checks.

Local authorities appear to be taking different approaches to the legislation, depending on their legal advice. Some councils have refused to grant access to any council property to organisations whose members have not all completed the vetting process.

Brian Gorman, the manager of Disclosure Scotland, suggested one in every eight Scots may now have to be vetted.

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