Babysitters and private tutors not subject to vetting Bill

BABYSITTERS AND private tutors have been exempted from new requirements making it mandatory for people working with children to be vetted by the Garda Síochána.

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter yesterday published a new Bill to provide a statutory framework for existing vetting requirement for people seeking to work with children and vulnerable adults.

The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012 will enhance the protection of these groups, he said.

Four years ago, an Oireachtas committee recommended that vetting procedures be placed on a statutory basis, and that legislation be introduced to regulate the way criminal convictions and other “soft information” is used for child protection purposes.

Mr Shatter said his legislation sought to strike a balance between the need to disclose information in the public interest, and to protect children, while safeguarding the rights of people who were the subject of disclosures.

The definition of “soft” information is quite restrictive, in that it includes only information arising from a formal investigation, for example by the Garda. Before the information is disclosed, the person affected will have the right to challenge it, and an appeals mechanism will operate.

The central vetting unit of the Garda Síochána was established in 2002 and provides a vetting service for the Health Service Executive, hospitals, schools and sporting bodies working with children.

A shortage of resources in the unit has led to backlogs in vetting. According to the Teaching Council of Ireland, 42,000 teachers have not been vetted.