Football coaches must go through a full background check before they can begin working with children, the Scottish Youth Football Association (SYFA) has announced.

SYFA representatives told MSPs on Holyrood's health and sport committee that it has increased again the protections it has in place for youngsters.

Last month the organisation ensured coaches could only work with children once their background check had started and under the supervision of a Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) licence holder.

From next year, coaching can only begin once the official has obtained their full PVG.

In March, MSPs were told more than 1000 coaches were working without holding a completed PVG.

SYFA chairman John McCrimmond told MSPs: "As of August 21, they (coaches) are not allowed to work with children until we have received the forms that they are now in the PVG process.

"At that point, they become a provisional member which allows them to work with the kids providing they are working with and supervised by a PVG holder.

"From April 1, 2018 we'll be removing that provisional membership, and it will become the situation where they are not allowed to work with kids until such time as we have completed the PVG process on that individual."

When Mr McCrimmon was asked why the full check system was not immediately in place, he replied: "For us to get to where we want to be, we have to make sure we have the infrastructure in place to deliver that. That's why we are doing this in two stages.

"Stage one is to remove the three months, which we have carried out, and then in April leading into season 18/19 we'll move directly to having the PVG forms back before allowing membership."