Garda Vetting for Work Experience

Garda Vetting is required for Work Experience placements in the Health Sector and in Youth Work, Childcare, Social Care, Special Needs Assisting and similar areas.

Please note:

• Vetting is a procedure through which police authorities are asked, with a person’s permission, to state whether or not that person has been convicted of a crime.
• Employers in care and education are required to use the vetting procedure to ensure that persons convicted of Child Abuse or other relevant crimes are not employed in the sector.
• Students on Healthcare, ELC, Social Care, Play Therapy, Youth and Community and Special Needs Assisting courses course are required to undergo Garda Vetting through the College before they can go on work experience.  Work experience (with a minimum hours requirement) is mandatory for achievement of the major award for these courses.
• In Ireland vetting must be requested by either an employer or a College and is carried out centrally by the Garda Vetting Unit. An individual may not apply personally to be vetted. Vetting does not involve local Gardai or a local Garda station.
• Vetting is a child protection measure. All previous convictions are reported to employers by the Garda Vetting Unit, but following a risk assessment only a small number are considered to pose a risk to children or vulnerable adults.
• International Vetting: Students who have lived abroad may be asked to apply for vetting from police authorities in countries in which they have resided.

The College cannot arrange or facilitate work experience in a care setting for a person who is unable to take up employment in the sector. Because work experience is mandatory for these Awards, learners who are not placed for work experience are unable to achieve and Award.

Applicants to care courses who could be precluded, following Garda vetting, from gaining work experience in the care sector are strongly advised to discuss this with the College before proceeding with an application. City of Dublin ETB and the College accept no liability for loss arising from the disclosure of information through a police vetting procedure.