Policy Statement
Drogheda women & Children’s Refuge Centre CLG (DWCR) is committed to the protection and welfare of women and children accessing our supports and services. As part of this commitment DWCR will comply with relevant legislation and recommended best practice in recruitment and selection procedures for both employees and volunteers, and will conduct Garda Vetting, where appropriate, as part of this process.
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide information and guidance on Garda Vetting procedures within DWCR staff, management, volunteers and service users.
Scope
This policy applies to DWCR employees and volunteers who will carry out “relevant work” with children and/or vulnerable adults as defined in the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012.
DWCR shall not permit any person to undertake relevant work or activities on behalf of the organisation unless the organisation receives a vetting disclosure from the National Vetting Bureau in respect of that person. A person who contravenes this section shall be guilty of an offence.
Overall responsibility for ensuring this policy is effectively implemented rests with Susan Keogh, CEO, who is the Liaison Person with the Irish Council for Social Housing on behalf of DWCR. The Senior Management Team will act Garda Vetting Officers (GVO’s) to support the processing of vetting applications (See responsibilities below). All other staff members and volunteers in DWCR are expected to facilitate and support the implementation of this policy.
Principles
Garda Vetting is just one of a few elements that DWCR implements to ensure the protection and safety of the children and/or vulnerable adults in DWCR’s care. Appropriate recruitment screening (including interviews, reference checking), child protection and health and safety procedures, etc. will be implemented along with Garda Vetting.
An individual will not work / volunteer with children or vulnerable adults in DWCR until their Garda vetting has been completed and the results conveyed to the organisation’s Garda Vetting Officer by the Liaison Person.
Having a criminal record will not automatically exclude an individual from employment/volunteering. Decisions on whether to involve an individual with prior criminal convictions will take into account:
- the individuals’ abilities, skills, experiences and qualifications.
- The nature of the conviction and its relevance to the job
- The length of time since the offence took place
- The risk to the service users, employees and organisation
- Training which may have occurred since the individual’s offence
DWCR will employ and Natural justice framework in dealing with any disclosures of offences. See full garda Vetting Policy for further information.