Garda Vetting

1
Garda Vetting

• How Educate Together Schools can create a culture
  of vetting

2
Garda Vetting - The Context

• Jan 2002 Garda Central Vetting Unit established
• 2002 Working Group established by Garda
  Commissioner
• 2004 Recommendation to expand
• Jan 2005 GCVU relocated to Thurles, expanded to
  27 staff
• Late 2006 Garda Vetting Bill due

3
Function of the GCVU

• Provide details of all prosecutions, successful
  or not, pending or completed, and/or convictions
  in respect of an applicant to a registered
  organisation
• Garda Vetting does not clear staff for
  employment, or make a decision on a persons
  suitability for a position

4
Impact for Schools

• All persons with unsupervised access to children
  need to be vetted
• Teaching Staff to be managed through Teaching
  Council
• All non teaching staff, volunteers, substitute
  staff etc vetted by school through Educate
  Together
• No vetting forms will be accepted directly from a
  school or individual, it has to come from an
  Authorised Signatory

5
Complementing Good Recruitment Practice

• Has to be managed within Natural Justice, Human
  Rights Legislative framework
• Garda Vetting only 1 element of a recruitment
  process - complements the process

6
How will it work for Non Teaching Staff

• The Authorised Signatory is the only person who
  can communicate with the GCVU
• Applications are processed within 3-6 weeks
• Disclosure/Non Disclosure made in writing
• Published Recruitment Policy adhered to and
  procedure followed carefully
• Natural Justice to prevail - opportunity given to
  disprove/amend details given

7
What may be disclosed

• Any prosecution since person is 18
• Any pending charge
• A prosecution where no conviction results

8
What do Schools need to do

• Develop a Recruitment Policy
• Inform the School Community
• Implement in all recruitment processes
• Follow correct procedure, taking natural justice,
  data protection and educational and employment
  legislation into account