Garda Vetting

Garda Vetting Requirements

Under Regulation 9 Management and Recruitment of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years’ Services) Regulations 2016 all staff members or any persons in direct contact with children in an early years’ service must secure Garda Vetting Disclosure before employment/access commences. This includes Special Needs Assistants (SNA) employed by parents or the service, students, unpaid workers, contractors and members of Board of Management. Those who have lived in another country for more than six consecutive months must provide police vetting from the country in which they resided.

The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 (No. 47 of 2012)

makes provision for the protection of children and vulnerable persons and it provides for the establishment and maintenance of a national vetting bureau (children and vulnerable persons) database system. This provides for the establishment of procedures that are to apply, in respect of persons who wish to undertake certain work or services or activities relating to children or vulnerable persons. The National Vetting Bureau Children & Vulnerable Persons Act, 2012 commenced on 29th April 2016. From the 29th April 2016 it is a criminal offence not to have Garda vetting disclosure when working with children and vulnerable adults.

Update to the Garda Vetting Process- GNVB Number

Services will now be required to apply for a Garda National Vetting Bureau Affiliate Registration Number (GNVB).

Barnardos, Early Childhood Ireland and St. Nicholas Montessori Society of Ireland continue to assist early years services with the processing of garda vetting. As part of this process, an applicant is required to apply for a Garda National Vetting Bureau Affiliate Registration Number (GNVB). This will soon be a compulsory requirement by the Garda National Vetting Bureau. It is important should you be applying for garda vetting that you are aware of this requirement and you allow ample time to apply for same.

Please find below a links to Barnardos, Early Childhood Ireland and St. Nicholas Montessori Society of Ireland with their individual information on this process.

A Garda Vetting webinar is now available below, from the National Child Safeguarding Programme website.  More information can be found under the Early Learning and Care and School Aged Childcare section along with the supporting information.

Early Childhood Ireland (ECI)

Early Year’s services/ childminders who are members of the Early Childhood Ireland Association (ECI) should make contact directly to process vetting applications.

Barnardos

Early years services/childminders who are not members of the above mentionedorganisations can make contact with Barnardos. Accessing vetting through Barnardos’ Vetting Service will be advised of the process by Barnados.

St Nicholas Montessori Society of Ireland

St Nicholas Montessori Society of Ireland is a registered provider of Garda Vetting. For all details on Garda Vetting applications and GNVB Affiliation Registration Number applications see the website below.

For those who have lived outside Ireland for longer than 6 months

Those who have lived in another country for more than six consecutive months may find out more information from the Embassy of that country or may find the following links useful:

United States of America

Please note that valid Security/Overseas Clearance from the USA must be obtained from the FBI only.

FBI Clearance is valid for all of the United States and convictions / remarks occurring anywhere in the United States would be noted.

https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks

FAQ’s about Garda Vetting

All documents relating to Garda/police vetting and reference will be retained for a period of 5 years from the date of commencement of work in the service.

If an SNA is appointed by another service (e.g. HSE) that service will be responsible for Garda vetting disclosure. If the parent or provider has employed the SNA privately it is the responsibility of the registered provider to process the Garda vetting disclosure and it must be on file in the early years’ service.

It is the responsibility of third level college and other organisations to provide a certified copy of the students Garda vetting disclosure to the registered early year’s provider. Where a positive disclosure has been identified, the college or organisation will advise the registered provider in writing of the outcome of the assessment of the returned information

A contractor must provide the registered provider with a certified copy of their Garda vetting disclosure. A certified copy means, in the case of a hard copy, that the registered provider has inspected the original hard copy of the document and can verify that the copy is an ‘authentic copy’. The registered provider notes on the copy that it is a true copy of the original. Where it is not possible for the registered provider to have sight of the original hard document that the copy of the certificate/document bears the stamp of the “relevant organisation/college”

In the case of e-vetting that the “relevant organisation” forwards via email to the Registered Provider the original vetting disclosure received by email from the National Vetting Bureau stating that this is a true copy of the original. In forwarding via email the disclosure can be password protected

Garda Vetting it is not required in these instances, however parents or visitors should not be allowed unsupervised access to other people’s children.

Further information regarding Garda vetting can be found in the Questions asked to Tusla Early Years Inspectorate here