Teachers and all others who work with children should be vetted by the Garda before taking up their posts, a report compiled by a ministerial advisory group has recommended.
Teachers and all others who work with children should be vetted by the Garda before taking up their posts, a report compiled by a ministerial advisory group has recommended.
The report, drawn up by the National Children's Advisory Council, is as yet unpublished but was submitted some months ago to the Minister of State for Children, Mr Brian Lenihan.
It states that there is no current requirement to vet teachers, student social workers, staff in leisure centres, public libraries, or those working with children in the private sector, such as in creches.
In fact, criminal record checks are only carried out on full-time employees of health boards who have substantial access to children and on staff in voluntary childcare organisations funded by health boards, it said.
"The level of vetting carried out in Ireland falls far below the standard within Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom as well as in many European countries," the report states.
It adds: "Groups currently vetted [in Northern Ireland] include all staff in statutory, voluntary and community childcare and children's organisations, all sports clubs, childminders, daycare staff, adopters and foster carers, taxi and bus drivers, teachers, classroom assistants and ancillary staff, volunteers, students in all relevant occupations, healthcare staff, and staff in nursing and care homes.
"The importance of criminal record checks is demonstrated in Northern Ireland statistics where an average of 6.5 per cent of applications each month reveal a previous criminal record".
It expressed concern at the fact that the Garda does not routinely share information on convicted sex offenders with other law enforcement agencies in other jurisdictions.
"If they could this would assist with monitoring the movement of convicted offenders and limit the potential for them to gain employment in other countries," it said.
Among a list of 13 recommendations it makes to Mr Lenihan are:
Vetting arrangements should urgently be extended to the education and youth sectors;
All children should have an equal opportunity to access care or services which have appropriate safeguards - ensuring that those with convictions for offences against children are not able to access employment in childcare services;
Consideration should be given to placing vetting on a statutory basis;
Consideration should be given to a pre-employment consultancy service within education, the youth service, health boards and the childcare sector to retain information on individuals who have been removed by their employers from posts involving access to children.