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
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?