Courtney McGrailJohn Reid
The Government has been urged to provide more resources to ensure that a huge backlog in child protection vetting does not continue to hamper local schools.
Educators have complained that the current system, while entirely welcome in its aim of safeguarding children, is at risk of defeating its purpose as massive delays are being caused in the vetting of key staff ready to work in schools.
The Irish Catholic has spoken to a number of principals and people involved in local schools who welcome the new scheme, but question the lack of resources provided to implement the strict new procedures.
Almost 700 Special Needs Assistant posts around the country remain unfulfilled due to the backlog in garda vetting, even though schools are now over a month into the school year.
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Ferns told The Irish Catholic: “We welcome the roll-out of the highest possible standards when it comes to vetting in schools,” but added: “a bit more thought could’ve been put in to preparing the infrastructure to cope with the huge increase in the numbers of applications for vetting.
Standards
“High quality standards, to work, require a high quality infrastructure to support them. More resources need to be provided to ensure that this system can work and the backlog can be cleared so that schools can get on with their essential work ensuring that the highest possible standards are achieved,” the spokesperson said.
The backlog in garda vetting has also led to delays in terms of appointing sports coaches in schools. There are also problems in terms of replacing – often at short notice – teachers who fall ill.
A contributor to the problem of backlogs is the requirement for multiple vetting (instead of having a uniform, streamlined vetting) of people who work from one school to the next, as well as the 4-5 weeks it takes for the gardai to process vetting applications.
The President of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN), Maria Doyle, said that “anything to do with the safeguarding of children has to be welcomed and must be of the utmost priority”
She said the IPPN wanted to reassure parents that “under the current system of vetting, people who should not be working in schools are unlikely to slip through the net, but that going forward while we must maintain the current standards of vetting we must develop a better and more transparent system. One that is not so unwieldy,” she said.