Full disclosure checks to be updated for Dumfries and Galloway's leisure centres
Some of these checks haven't been updated in 20 years.
A councillor has argued that a review of leisure arrangements in Dumfries and Galloway should include full disclosure checks of people involved with groups using the facilities.
Dumfries and Galloway Council chiefs are currently assessing agreements they have in place with various community clubs and third sector organisations who operate in places including DGOne in Dumfries and Ryan Centre in Stranraer.
With a mix of operations and some arrangements having been in place for up to 20 years, steps are now being taken to come up with a consistent framework for all community bodies using council leisure facilities.
An officer working group has been set up to undertake this work led, which councillors were notified of at last week’s education, skills, and community wellbeing committee.
At the committee, North West Dumfries Councillor Paula Stevenson said: “The council must ensure that clubs have the correct disclosures in place when they’re using council facilities – and I’m going to keep banging on about that for a long time.”
Harry Hay, the council’s head of thriving communities, said: “Absolutely – in terms of disclosures and requirements, one of the areas we will be looking at is consistency of what we expect users of facilities to have in place, and to evidence that.
“That’s as much as keeping the organisation, users, and ourselves safe.”
Disclosure Scotland is the Scottish Government agency which carries out checks and ensures unsuitable people – such as convicted sex offenders – do not work with vulnerable groups, including children.