It is becoming increasingly common for parents helping out at PTA events to be asked to submit to police checks, the Scottish Parent Teacher Council says. It has told the parliamentary education committee inquiry into child protection that unnecessary checks are overloading the disclosure system and distorting its intended purpose.
The council points out that the measure is supposed to cover those in employment in an identified position, not casual helpers. It is also concerned that the process may lead to a false sense of security because disclosure uncovers only recorded convictions and not the fitness of a person to be involved with children.