A care manager in Leeds takes a new post in Glasgow. She brings her Level 2 safeguarding certificate. Her new employer asks which workforce group she belongs to under Scotland’s national framework. She has no idea what they mean.
This confusion happens regularly. Scotland does not use Level 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 as a national safeguarding system. If you search for “safeguarding levels Scotland” expecting numbered levels, you will not find a direct match because numbered levels are not how Scotland structures training.
Scotland operates two separate national frameworks. One covers child protection. The other covers adult support and protection. Both frameworks use named workforce groups, not numbers. Your role and your professional responsibilities determine which group you fall into.
This guide explains how both frameworks work, what each workforce group requires, and how Scotland’s approach differs from the numbered level system used in England.xs
Scotland moved away from numbered levels in 2012. The National Framework for Child Protection Learning and Development in Scotland 2012 proposed a shift to named workforce groups instead of numerical rankings. The reason was straightforward: names tied to roles are more meaningful and practical than numbers tied to a hierarchy.
The 2024 revision of the child protection framework confirmed this approach. It also added a fourth workforce group, the Wider Workforce, to the original three. Anyone working from a pre-2024 source will only see three groups. The 2024 framework is the current standard.
Scotland’s model focuses on what workers need to know and be able to do based on their specific role. This is a competency-based, role-led system. It is not a simplified version of England’s approach. It is structured differently by design.
You will sometimes encounter the terms “Practice Level 1 (Informed)” and “Practice Level 2 (Skilled)” in Scotland. These terms come from NHS Education for Scotland’s TURAS e-learning platform. They apply specifically to NHS health workforce training delivery.
These are not universal Scottish framework terms. Workers outside the NHS will not use this language, and these labels do not represent Scotland’s national workforce group model. Some online content, including the current AI Overview for this search topic, presents “Informed, Skilled, and Advanced” as Scotland’s national system. That is a misrepresentation. These are sector-specific NHS delivery labels, not the national framework.
Scotland’s safeguarding training rests on two distinct national frameworks. Understanding this distinction is essential before you look at workforce groups.
The 2024 national child protection framework defines four workforce groups. Every worker or volunteer with any contact with children in Scotland falls into one of these groups. Your role determines your group, not a number.
The 2024 framework replaced the 2012 version and added the Wider Workforce as a fourth group. The framework’s core message remains the same: child protection is “Still Everyone’s Job.”
The 2026 National Framework for Adult Support and Protection Learning and Development in Scotland defines five workforce levels. This is the first nationally agreed ASP learning and development framework Scotland has produced.
A 2023 survey sent to all 32 Scottish councils achieved a 100% response rate. The findings showed wide variation in how ASP training was organised across different council areas. Respondents asked for national clarity and consistency. The 2026 framework was the outcome of that process.
Competency Progression: Adult Support and Protection
The Wider Workforce covers all staff with any contact with adults as part of their role, including volunteers, regardless of how limited the contact.
Workers need to know how to recognise when an adult might be at risk, pass concerns to the right person, record observations accurately, and submit an ASP referral where appropriate.
The General Workforce includes staff with more regular contact with adults who contribute relevant information to assessments or follow-up actions.
The Specific Workforce covers staff who work directly and routinely with adults, write reports, and contribute to ASP Case Conferences and Protection Plans. Workers in this group are likely to require PVG membership.
The 2nd Worker is a specific sub-role within the Specific Workforce. Under the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007, a 2nd Worker accompanies a Council Officer during an ASP Investigative Interview.
Key points about the 2nd Worker:
Training resources for the 2nd Worker role are available through the Iriss ASPire Resource Hub.
The Intensive Workforce covers staff with decision-making roles in ASP processes, including risk assessment, protection planning, and implementation of support under the Act.
The Council Officer is a legislatively defined role under Section 53(1) of the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. This is a statutory appointment, not a training designation.
To become a Council Officer, a person must:
Competencies: Adds Lead and Coordinate, on behalf of the council as lead agency under the Act.
Council Officers lead multi-agency interventions, chair ASP Case Conferences, develop and coordinate Protection Plans, and hold the legal authority to use investigatory powers under the ASP Act.
This role has no direct equivalent in England’s numbered level system. It exists in Scottish law.
The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 defines who counts as an “adult at risk.” Many training providers and online resources use England’s definition, which applies to adults aged 18 and over. In Scotland, the threshold is 16.
An adult at risk in Scotland is a person aged 16 or over who meets all three of the following criteria at the same time:
All three criteria must be met simultaneously. Meeting one or two criteria is not enough for the Act to apply.
This is statute. It is not subject to local interpretation.
Scottish safeguarding law and guidance has changed significantly since 2024. Workers and employers using pre-2024 resources are working with outdated information.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is now directly incorporated into Scots domestic law. Public authorities must comply with UNCRC requirements when performing duties under Acts of the Scottish Parliament. Children and their representatives now use the courts to enforce their rights. This gives the 2024 child protection framework a new legislative foundation the 2012 version did not have.
PVG scheme membership is now a legal requirement for anyone carrying out a regulated role with children or protected adults in Scotland. This is no longer best practice. It is law.
From 1 July 2025, two criminal offences came into force:
The penalty is up to five years imprisonment, a fine, or both.
The old disclosure levels (basic, standard, enhanced) were replaced by Level 1 and Level 2 disclosures in Scotland from April 2025. These are Scottish disclosure levels and are separate from the safeguarding training level system used in England.
Lifetime PVG membership ends. All members will need to renew every five years from April 2026.
A new Section 5A was added to the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. Independent and private healthcare services, including independent contractors, now have a clear legal basis to share information when they believe an adult may be at risk of harm, bringing them in line with NHS and local authority obligations.
England and Scotland both aim to ensure workers have the right knowledge for their role. The systems achieve this differently.
An England-based Level 2 or Level 3 safeguarding certificate does not automatically satisfy Scottish framework requirements. The frameworks use different terminology, different governance structures, and different legislation.
If you hold England-based training and move to a Scottish role, check with your employer or your local CPC (for child protection) or APC (for adult support and protection) to confirm whether additional training is needed.
DBS checks do not satisfy Scotland’s PVG requirement. If you work in regulated roles in Scotland, you need PVG membership. These two systems have never been interchangeable.
The simplest starting point: If you have any contact with children or adults as part of your role or voluntary work in Scotland, you are at minimum in the Wider Workforce for the relevant framework.
Decision Flowchart: Finding Your Workforce Group
Four role scenarios:
Employers and local APCs or CPCs have flexibility in assigning staff to groups. Council Officers and 2nd Workers are the exceptions. Those roles are fixed by legislation.
If you are unsure which group applies, speak to your line manager or your local learning and development team.
Training standards in Scotland are overseen at both national and local levels. Different bodies hold responsibility for child protection and adult support and protection.
Child Protection Committees Scotland (CPCs) operate in every local authority area. They are multi-agency committees responsible for child protection policy, procedures, and training standards in their area. CPCs publish local learning and development strategies aligned to national framework priorities, quality-assure training delivery, and evaluate its impact on practice.
Adult Protection Committees (APCs) are the equivalent body for adult support and protection. Every council area has one. APCs include senior staff from councils, NHS Scotland, and Police Scotland, and are chaired by independent convenors. Every two years, APCs report to Scottish Ministers on local activity.
National bodies with direct training roles:
While CPCs and APCs manage local delivery, the 2024 child protection framework and the 2026 ASP framework now provide consistent national expectations across all 32 Scottish council areas.
Both the 2024 National Framework for Child Protection and the 2026 National Framework for Adult Support and Protection recommend refresher training at least every three years. This applies across all workforce groups and levels.
This is guidance from national frameworks, not a legal requirement. Employers and local CPCs or APCs set their own requirements and regularly specify more frequent refresher intervals.
Key timing guidance from the frameworks:
Several training providers and online resources state refresher training is required every two years in Scotland. Two years is not the national framework standard. The correct minimum recommendation from both Scottish national frameworks is three years. Your employer or sector regulator sets the interval for your organisation. Always check your own organisation’s policy alongside the national framework recommendation.
Several widespread beliefs about safeguarding training in Scotland are incorrect. These appear across competitor pages, training provider websites, and AI-generated summaries. Getting them right protects workers, employers, and the people in their care.
Scotland’s safeguarding training system is competency-based and role-led. The system does not use Level 1 to Level 5 as a national structure. Two national frameworks define what training workers need: the 2024 National Framework for Child Protection Learning and Development, and the 2026 National Framework for Adult Support and Protection Learning and Development.
Child protection training uses four workforce groups: Wider, General, Specific, and Intensive. Adult support and protection training uses five levels: Wider, General, Specific (including the 2nd Worker role), Intensive, and Council Officer.
Your three next steps:
Useful resources:
A: No. Scotland does not use numbered safeguarding levels as a national system. Scotland uses named workforce groups tied to two separate national frameworks: the 2024 child protection framework and the 2026 adult support and protection framework. Your role and responsibilities determine your training requirements, not a number.
A: They are governed by two separate national frameworks with different workforce groups, different legislation, and different committees. Child protection falls under the 2024 national framework and is overseen by Child Protection Committees. Adult support and protection falls under the 2026 national framework and is overseen by Adult Protection Committees.
A: Anyone with any contact with children or adults as part of their role in Scotland is at minimum in the Wider Workforce. The frequency and depth of your contact, and the professional responsibilities attached to your role, determine whether you fall into General, Specific, or Intensive. Speak to your line manager or local learning and development team if you are unsure.
A: Not automatically. Scottish frameworks use different terminology, different workforce group structures, and sit within different legislation. Workers moving from England to a Scottish role should confirm with their employer or local CPC or APC whether existing training meets Scottish framework requirements. A DBS check does not replace PVG membership in Scotland.
A: A Council Officer is a legislatively defined role under Section 53(1) of the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. The person must be a registered social worker, occupational therapist, or nurse with at least 12 months post-qualifying experience in identifying, assessing, and managing adults at risk. The council appoints them and issues a local ID badge. This role does not have a direct equivalent in England.
A: The 2nd Worker accompanies a Council Officer during an ASP Investigative Interview under the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. This person sits within the Specific Workforce and comes from any appropriate organisation. Training resources are available through the Iriss ASPire Resource Hub.
A: Both national frameworks recommend refresher training at least every three years. This is guidance from the frameworks, not a legal mandate. Your employer or local CPC or APC sets the interval for your organisation, so always check your own policy alongside the national recommendation.
A: An adult at risk in Scotland must meet all three criteria simultaneously: unable to safeguard their own wellbeing, property, rights, or interests; at risk of harm; and more vulnerable to harm than other adults because they are affected by disability, mental disorder, illness, or infirmity. The age threshold in Scotland is 16+, not 18+ as in England.
A: GIRFEC stands for Getting it Right for Every Child. It is Scotland's national approach to improving the wellbeing of children and young people across all services. All child protection training in Scotland is framed within GIRFEC, which uses the eight SHANARRI wellbeing indicators (Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, Included) and promotes early identification, holistic assessment, and multi-agency working.
A: It replaced the 2012 framework and added a fourth workforce group, the Wider Workforce, to the original three named groups. It updated competency descriptors, incorporated the UNCRC (now law in Scotland), and reflected updated national guidance from 2021 and 2023. Training content and workforce group designations should now reflect the 2024 version.
A: Yes. From 1 April 2025, PVG scheme membership is a legal requirement for anyone carrying out a regulated role with children or protected adults in Scotland, under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020. From 1 July 2025, it is a criminal offence to carry out a regulated role without PVG membership. A DBS check from England does not satisfy this requirement.
A: From 7 January 2026, a new Section 5A was added to the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. Independent and private healthcare services, including independent contractors, now have a clear legal basis to share information when they believe an adult is at risk of harm, bringing them in line with NHS and local authority obligations already in place.
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