| Garda Vetting and Access NI questions |
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Some questions being asked - not all are relevant to both Garda Vetting and Access NI - please read through. If your question is not answered here or by the information you received with your forms please contact the National Children's Officer at 01 62... or 086 8... What if I have been checked before?Even if you have been checked before for another organisation you will still need to go through the process with Swim Ireland. This applies for both Garda Vetting and Access NI. I have been through the POCVA system; I don't need to be checked againSwim Ireland are requiring that all NI members submit the Access NI form - this is the new system and this WILL be a legal requirement when the legislation changes in 2009. Not all the POCVA applications submitted by members previously were processed due to the change in the system. Will there be any more changes to Access NI? There will be a change to the legislation in NI later in 2009 and this will affect everyone working with children. It will become an offence not to have undergone an Access NI check - this is why we are asking everyone to complete the Access NI form now. When do I know if I am clear or suitable?Through the Access NI system you will receive a copy of your disclosure certificate and therefore you will know when the process is complete. If there is any further information or action to be taken you will be contacted by an authorised person. For Garda vetting you will be contacted by phone with the results of your application. This process does not produce any certification. How much will it cost?For volunteers both the processes are free. If you are employed in your role you will be asked to pay a fee for Access NI, however there is no charge for Garda Vetting. Who sees my information? Only the authorised persons can see your information. Your application form and any returned information is confidential and kept securely. How long does it take? At the present time the turn around for Garda Vetting is approximately 4 - 6 weeks. However this is completely dependant on the number of forms submitted - Swim Ireland forms are being returned thick and fast! For the Access NI system, the process is similar - again this will be dependant upon the number of applications Access NI receives. Do I really need to fill in all my addresses? Foe the Garda Vetting process all your addresses must be filled in form birth - and the years must follow on. We understand it can be hard to recall, you do need to give as much information as possible. We are here to help you through this process - this is an important requirement now as part of our on-going child protection implementation programme - thank you for attending to this. |