There are calls for a major reform of Ireland’s Garda vetting system with one Aontú representative warning that the current structure, while essential, is placing unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles in the way of volunteers and community organisations.
Clare based June Dillon has said that Garda vetting plays a vital role in protecting children and vulnerable adults, but argued that the system must be modernised so it safeguards effectively without repeatedly re-vetting the same people for similar roles.
“At the outset I want to stress that Garda Vetting and Safeguarding is absolutely vital to ensure the protection of young, elderly and vulnerable people. I don’t have any issue whatsoever with the actual vetting itself, but I have a big issue with the process. The protracted and tedious nature of the process is discouraging many individuals from offering their time and skills to various community and charitable organisations.”
“Protecting children and vulnerable adults is non-negotiable. But we now have a system where safe volunteers are being forced to go through the same lengthy process again and again, simply because they want to help a different club or charity. That is not efficient safeguarding,” she said. “The vetting system needs to be reviewed to encourage more people to volunteer, thereby strengthening our communities and enhancing the support available to those in need. It is crucial that we remove unnecessary barriers and make it easier for individuals to contribute in a practical way to society. We urge the relevant authorities to take immediate action to reform the Garda vetting process and make volunteerism more accessible to all.”
Ms Dillon is proposing a new national model that would retain a rigorous initial Garda vetting process, including strong identity verification, but would introduce a portable ‘Vetting ID’ for volunteers once they have been cleared. This secure digital or physical ID would allow a volunteer, with their consent, to have their vetting status instantly checked by other registered organisations. Where there is no change in status, the organisation could proceed immediately. Where new information exists, a full updated disclosure would be triggered.
“This would mean no more starting from scratch each time, while Garda oversight and full safeguarding powers remain firmly in place,” Ms Dillon said.
She is also calling for consistent national base funding to support a modern vetting infrastructure, including secure digital systems, adequate processing staff and compliance support for small organisations. Ms Dillon said safeguarding is a public good and should not rely on overstretched volunteers in local clubs and charities to manage complex administrative systems.
“A properly funded national framework would reduce duplication, speed up vetting, support community groups and allow safeguarding professionals to focus on genuine risk, not repeat paperwork,” she said.
Ms Dillon noted that Ireland can look at international best practice. In the United Kingdom, the DBS Update Service allows vetted individuals to have their status checked by new organisations without repeating the full process. In Australia, Working With Children Checks are linked to the individual and can be verified across multiple organisations using a unique number.
“These systems maintain strong protections while removing unnecessary duplication. Ireland can and should do something similar but ultimately speaking we need to start the conversation on this and explore these and other options that would work to improve the system we currently have,” she said.
Ms Dillon is calling on the Government to reform vetting legislation to allow consent-based vetting status checks across organisations, to develop a secure national verification platform, and to consult with sports bodies, charities, safeguarding experts and volunteer groups to design a system that works in practice.
Meeting many people in her professional and volunteer roles, Ms Dillons finds that many organisations across Clare, especially in rural Clare, are crying out for volunteers but the repeated process of vetting puts people off going forward with their application.
“There is definitely a feeling of frustration with the system,” she said.
“A system that is easier to engage with is a system that is safer. We can protect children properly, support volunteers, and strengthen our communities at the same time,” Ms Dillon concluded.