Slides from recent Garda Vetting Seminar hosted by Volunteer Centres in Dublin.

1. Garda Vetting Seminar
Hosted by Volunteer Centres in Dublin

2. Welcome
The Dublin network is made up of the 5 Volunteer
Centres:
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown – manager Karen Johnson
Dublin City South – Manager Sacha Johnston
Dublin City North – manager Marzia Baldassari
South Dublin County – manager Tricia Nolan
Fingal- manager Stuart Garland
Part of a larger network of 22 volunteer centres in Ireland
which are resourced by Volunteer Centres Ireland.

3. What does a volunteer
centre do?
Volunteer centres have 4 core activities according to
our quality standards document:
1. A volunteer-centered placement and support
service
2. Provide support for not-for-profit organisations.
3. Market and promote volunteering
4. Ensure good practice within volunteer centres.

4. Agenda for this
Morning
10:15 Welcome (Karen)
10:25
VC Garda Vetting Service (Tricia)
10:45
Vetting as One Part of the Screening
Process (Sacha)
11:00
Superintendent Pat Burke
11:30
Q&A (Stuart)
12:45
Closing (Marzia)

5. Garda Vetting Service
offered by VCs
Tricia Nolan
Manager - South Dublin
County Volunteer Centre

6. Garda Vetting Service
offered by VCs
Volunteer Centres across the country
offer a Garda Vetting Service to not for
profit organisations that do not have
access to Garda Vetting themselves.

7. History of Service
✦ Delivering volunteer management training -
vetting identified as major barrier to recruiting
volunteers.
✦ Approached the Garda Vetting Unit to find out
how we could address these barriers.
✦ It was suggested that VC’s were ideally placed
to “fill the gap” for small community groups
who did not have access to an authorised
signatory.
✦ Service piloted in 2007 in South Dublin County
and rolled out across the rest of the VC’s over
the next 2 years.
✦ Now part of government policy on the role of a
volunteer centre.

8. How does it work?
• Volunteer Centres across the country offer a
Garda Vetting Service to not for profit
organisations that do not have access to Garda
Vetting themselves.
• Local organisations sign an agreement with VC
that VC will carry out this service on their behalf.
• CGVU also refer organisations to VC’s.
• VC will assess what supports the organisation
needs to implement the service.

9. How does it work?
• Local organisations are furnished with
individualised Garda Vetting Forms that they give
to volunteers.
• One designated point of contact for each
organisation.
• Forms are returned to local organisation who in
turn send batches to VC.
• Authorised signatory in VC checks forms and
sends them to CGVU.
• Results when they are known are then passed on
to local group with VC holding the files on form
for up to 6 months.
• VC acts as data processor and data controller!

10. How much does it
cost?
• Service is free from most centres.
• Some centres charge a small administrative
charge to cover costs.
• This usually depends on the size of the VC and
the number of forms to be processed.
• Hoping to come to a uniform agreement on cost
• Cost should never be a barrier to vetting and
individual centres will always try and facilitate
those who cannot afford vetting.

11. Vetting:
One Step in the
Screening Process
Sacha Johnston
Manager - Dublin City South
Volunteer Centre

12. Screening

13. Screening
Screening is not...
• A guarantee
• The same for every volunteer role
• The same thing as Vetting

14. Screening
Screening is not...
• A guarantee
• The same for every volunteer role
• The same thing as Vetting
Screening is...
• ensuring that the volunteer is appropriate for the
role and the role is appropriate for the volunteer
• an important part of the risk-assessment process
• a continuous process

15. Screening Process
• Role Description - Specific
• Recruitment Process - Transparent
• Application Form - Comprehensive
• Interview - Consistent
• Reference Checks - Relevant
• Garda Vetting - Appropriate
• Induction & Training - Thorough
• Supervision - Ongoing
• Exit Interviews - Meaningful

16. Factors to Consider
• What type of activity does a volunteer do? Will
they come in regular contact with a vulnerable
client?
• Is the activity supervised?
• Are there any situations which might increase
risk?
• Is the volunteer in a position of power? Is a
relationship of trust, dependency, authority or
reliance created?
• Will the volunteer be dealing with finances and/
or sensitive information?

17. Supt. Pat Burke
Central Garda Vetting Unit.

18. Questions
and Answers
Stuart Garland
Manager - Fingal VC

19. Wrap up &
Thank You
Marzia Baldassari
Manager - Dublin City North VC