The Irish Council for Social Housing is registered with An Garda Siochana as an Authorised Signatory for Garda Vetting. ICSH members can have staff or volunteers vetted through the ICSH. This can be done online or through a paper form, whichever your applicants feel most comfortable with.
The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 which was commenced in April 2016 requires vetting for all employees, directors, volunteers, interns or anyone else engaged in what’s referred to in the Act as “relevant work”. It is a criminal offence to employ someone for such work who has not been vetted. If you are not carrying out this relevant work then you do not have to be vetted, although you still can be if you’d like to as a matter of good practice.
Relevant work consists of the following in relation to vulnerable persons. There is a different list for work that relates to children:
- Work involving access to a vulnerable person in a school, hospital, designated centre under the 2007 Health Act or 2001 Mental Health Act.
- Treatment, therapy or counselling to a vulnerable person.
- Provision of educational, training, cultural, recreational, leisure, social or physical activities to a vulnerable person
- Provision of health and personal social services to a vulnerable person
- Provision of advice, guidance and developmental services to vulnerable persons
- Driver of a public service vehicle used only for conveying vulnerable persons
- Work as a priest or religious minister
- Accommodating a vulnerable person in own home
- Research involving access to vulnerable persons
- Assessment of a person’s suitability to act as a care representative
- Managing a designated centre
If you are interested in having your staff or volunteers vetted, you should contact the ICSH with your details and the ICSH vetting form will be forwarded to you. All forms and results will be treated in the strictest of confidence and in line with Data Protection guidelines.
A charge of €5 per vetting application will be charged to ICSH members. This fee is subject to change. For further information, contact Mairéad Holohan , Administration Assistant and Registered Liaison Person for the purpose of Garda Vetting with the National Vetting Bureau with the on 01 6618334 or mairead@icsh.ie.