Garda Vetting

A quick guide to the process

HOW DOES IT WORK?
To avail of our service:
• Your organisation will be required to register with the Garda vetting bureau.
• Your organisation will be required to register with Leitrim Volunteer Centre
• Your organisation will be required to attend training in Garda Vetting to achieve an understanding of what the Garda Vetting process involves.
• Your organisation will be expected to have certain policies and procedures in place before commencing Garda Vetting, for example, confidentiality policy, data protection policy, Garda Vetting policy. Copies of generic polices can be obtained from your local volunteer centre.

DO VOLUNTEERS NEED TO BE VETTED?
Yes. The National Vetting Bureau (Children & Vulnerable Adults) Acts 2012 to 2016, makes it a legal requirement to vet those involved in ‘any work or activity which is carried out by a person, where a necessary and regular part of that work requires the participation of the person in relevant work or activities with children or Vulnerable adults. It is up to the organisation to decide whether a volunteer position requires vetting. This should be assessed while the organisation is in the process of developing the role description for each individual volunteer position. It is important to remember that Garda Vetting is but one stage of the screening of volunteers.

WHO MUST BE VETTED AND WHAT IS RELEVANT WORK?
Under the Acts, any person whose work or activity involves access to children or vulnerable adults must be vetted. Workers include staff, volunteers and those on student placements working for a relevant organisation through which they have access to children and/or vulnerable adults. The act defines “relevant organisation” as one that employs or permits a person to carry out work or activities which mainly consist of them having access to, or contact with, children or vulnerable adults. Under the act locations where individuals work or carry out activities with children and vulnerable adult that will require vetting include:
• Childcare services
• Schools
• Hospitals and health services
• Residential services or accommodation for children or vulnerable persons
• Treatment, therapy or counselling services for children or vulnerable persons
• Provision of leisure, sporting or physical activities to children or vulnerable persons
• Promotion of religious beliefs

WHAT IS A VULNERABLE ADULT?
A vulnerable adult is a person, other than a child, who is suffering from a disorder of the mind, whether as a result of mental illness or dementia, has an intellectual disability, is suffering from a physical impairment, whether as a result of injury, illness or age, or has a physical disability, which is of such a nature or degree as to restrict the capacity of the person to guard himself or herself against harm by another person, or that results in the person requiring assistance with the activities of daily living including dressing, eating, walking, washing and bathing.