First of all many thanks to those who turned out last night for our meeting- and to those who have called to office before and since meeting to sign Form of Undertaking and collect vetting form. I do realise that this is new territory for most parents- all sports coaches, new entrants to teaching and any person proposing to work with children or vulnerable adults will certainly have been vetted.
The vetting process for schools is covered in Circular 63 of 2010 from the Department of Education and Science. it is well worth a download as it has a comprehensive FAQ section which will offer reassurance to any parent who has concerns in respect of the process. The link is http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Archived-Circulars/
The definition of vetting is worth uploading fully here;
1. What is Garda Vetting?
Vetting is conducted by the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU). The function of the GCVU is to provide to a registered organisation a statement which gives details of all convictions and/or prosecutions, successful or not, pending or completed in relation to the applicant for vetting.
Garda vetting does not provide clearance for persons to work with children. It simply provides the above information to the registered organisation.
The Garda Central Vetting Unit does not liaise directly with individual applicants or schools. The GCVU issues the relevant disclosure only to an authorised person within a registered organisation for Garda vetting.
Garda vetting may be conducted in respect of an individual over 18 years of age on his/her written authorisation. Where the individual is between the ages of 16 and 18 years, in addition to the written authorisation of the individual, the written authorisation of the individual’s parents/legal guardians will also be required. Garda vetting is not conducted in respect of individuals under the age of 16 years.
Without getting into the fine grain of advice as to how to complete the form, the best advice is if there is anything under the question ‘have you ever been convicted of an offence in the Republic of Ireland or elsewhere?- err on the side of caution and enter ALL DETAILS EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT SURE IF THERE WAS A CONVICTION OR NOT.
Having started the process, we will be expecting all our volunteers for things such as Arts Day, Maths Week & Science Week to have signed the Undertaking and commenced the vetting process so our firm decision is without garda vetting, one can not volunteer in the School.