Recruitment Policy for Club Officials Coaches and Volunteers

Blackrock Athletic Club relies on the time and commitment freely and generously given by volunteers.  It is recommended that all adults taking responsibility for young people in athletics should undergo a recruitment process. The following recruitment steps will help to protect young people and assist in placing volunteers in the position to which they are suited and supported.

In the Republic of Ireland Athletics coaches/officials/volunteers who work with young people must be checked by the Garda Vetting Service, attend Child Safeguarding Training, and sign up to Child Welfare Codes of Conduct. In addition, volunteers in the club involved in coaching must attending coaching training.

The level of vetting/child safeguarding required for volunteers varies depending on the role that the individual performs in the club. The table below summarises Club policy and it is important that volunteers take responsibility and comply with the club policy and achieve the relevant level required for their role. Garda Vetting must be completed before any coaches begin coaching, vetting once received, is valid for 4 years before it needs to be renewed. Child safeguarding courses are also valid for 4 years before the individual must attend a refresher training course.  A time period of 6 months is allowed for coaches to complete child safeguarding level 1. Coaching training is ongoing.

** Individuals who help occasionally at club events do not require vetting or child safeguarding training but should not be unsupervised on their own with children at events.

Note 1. Individuals who volunteer regularly with coaching require vetting. Where a club non-coaching role allows access to the club database with child contact details or the club website then the individual requires vetting.

Note 2. Where the role requires the individual to be covered by insurance from Athletics Ireland they should be registered.

Code of Conduct for Officials Coaches and Volunteers

New coaches, officials and volunteers must sign and furnish the club with a signed copy of the ‘Code of Conduct for Officials Coaches and Volunteers’ as an indication that they will abide by the code and the Athletics Ireland Child Welfare Document ‘Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children in Athletics’,  prior to commencement of their position in the club.

Volunteer Garda Vetting Policy and Procedure

It is Club policy that only vetted volunteers may coach or act in any role within the club. Vetting approval, once received, lasts for four years.  The time taken to process vetting can vary by individual, particularly where individuals have multiple prior addresses and overseas addresses. The process can therefore take a few weeks in some instances and a few months in other cases.

1. Complete the Athletics Ireland eVetting form. (if you do not have an Athletics Ireland number please leave that blank when completing the form).

9. Present the form with photocopies of ID’s to the Club Children’s Officers for validation and signing. (see website or notice board for contact details). The Childrens Officers will need to see the original documents (passport/driving licence) to vouch the documents.
10. The Club Children’s Officer will vouch the ID’s to the original documents and post the eVetting Invitation form along with photocopies of the ID to Athletics Ireland, 19 Northwood Court in Santry.
11. Athletics Ireland will then (usually within a fortnight) send you an e-mail inviting you to complete the online eVetting Application Form. (Please watch for this email in case it ends up in junk mail).
12. Complete the online eVetting Application Form and submit it.
13. Athletics Ireland will review the Vetting Application Form and submit it to the National Vetting Bureau for processing.
14. The National Vetting Bureau processes the application and forwards a vetting disclosure to the Athletics Ireland Liaison Person. At this stage you will get an email to say that the vetting process is complete; however, you must still await an approved vetting letter from Athletics Ireland.
15. Athletics Ireland reviews the vetting disclosure and sends an approval letter.
16. Please let the Club Children’s Officer know when you receive the approval letter from Athletics Ireland and keep this letter.

Club Children’s Officer is the Authorised Signatory with responsibility for processing the vetting forms:

Janice Kelly             kellyjanice@gmail.com                       087 2336363

The Authorised Signatory and the Garda Vetting Unit have access to the Garda Vetting Form. The AS maintains strict confidentiality regarding applicant details. If a disclosure needs to be discussed by a review Committee, the applicant will be advised in advance and will be invited to attend to discuss the information received from the Gardaí. This process is EXTREMELY confidential.

Blackrock A.C. will also follow Athletics Ireland Policy and Procedures in the event of vetting disputes and the setting up of a vetting Review Committee. The Athletics Ireland Vetting Policy and Procedures can be found on the Athletics Ireland Website.

Child Safeguarding 

Any individual whose role will have regular contact with children or vulnerable persons in the provision of relevant services must complete safeguarding training.  The Athletics Ireland Policy dealing with Child Safeguarding is (04/17).  This policy is part of the Safeguarding Statement for Athletics Ireland under the Children First Act 2015 Section 11(3). This policy sets out the accepted Safeguarding Workshops for Athletics Ireland together with any specific requirements for attendance and renewal of certification.   Vetting must be refreshed every four years and Athletics Ireland will allow a grace period after the expiry date of 4 months in which the individual must complete the required workshop.

Thus an individual is recruited by Blackrock Athletic juvenile section is required to attend Child Safeguarding Training.  The level of volunteer coach training in child safeguarding will vary depending on the role the volunteer has with the club. The majority of coaches will do level 1 training, and the course, once finished, lasts for 4 years before the volunteer must attend refresher training. The Club allows a grace period of 9 months to complete the child safeguarding level 1 training, and a grace period of 4 months to refresh the training when the 4 years are up.

The courses are run by Sport Ireland and delivered through the Local Sports Partnership and by Athletic Ireland.  The Club also runs a course every September for anyone who has not managed to book a course with the local sports partnership.

The refresher course for anyone requiring is:

Web link for Sport Ireland Safeguarding 1 E-Learning Refresher course:

Click here to access: https://able.ineqe.com/apps/sportireland/coaches/

April 2022