Student Vetting Office

Garda Vetting is conducted by the National Vetting Bureau in respect of any person who is carrying out work or activity, a necessary and regular part of which consists mainly of the person having access to, or contact with, children or vulnerable persons, in order to establish whether there is any criminal record or specified information relating to the applicant.

Maynooth University offers a number of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes that require students to undertake placements with external agencies which will bring them into contact with the public and in which they will assume positions of trust. To ensure the protection of the public, and justify public trust and confidence, the University is committed to ensuring that only suitable candidates are allowed to undertake these programmes.

Maynooth University uses the National Vetting Bureau eVetting service to assess the suitability of such applicants.
 

Maynooth University requires students to be vetted by the National Vetting Bureau before they fully complete their registration as a student of the University for the programmes of study listed below (this list is subject to review):

Undergraduate Programmes
MH116 Bachelor of Social Science (Community and Youth Work) (full-time)
MH802 Bachelor of Social Science (Community and Youth Work) (part-time)
MH209 Bachelor of Science (Psychology through Science)
MH212 Bachelor of Science (Science with Education)
MH212 Bachelor of Science (Mathematics with Education)
MH212 Bachelor of Science (Mathematics and Computer Science with Education)
MH001 Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching)
MH002 Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching - Gaeltacht)
MH003 Bachelor of Arts (Early Childhood - Teaching and Learning) full-time
MH004 Bachelor of Arts (Early Childhood - Teaching and Learning) flexible
MH801  Bachelor of Arts (Early Childhood - Teaching and Learning) part-time

Postgraduate Programmes
Higher Diploma in Further Education
Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (School Guidance Counselling)
Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Guidance Counselling
Postgraduate Diploma in Inclusive and Special Education
Professional Master of Education (Post-Primary)
Professional Master of Education (Primary)
Master of Social Science (Community and Youth Work)
Master of Social Science (Social Work)

Short courses (duration of one semester or less)
Micro-credential: Mentoring for equality, diversity & inclusion

Other academic work
Teacher mentors in the 'Rising Teachers, Rising Leaders' programme
Students on the 'Think about Teaching' certificate programme
Graduates of the 'Think about Teaching' Certificate Programme who are registered to undergraduate programmes in the University for whom placements may be arranged

Research work at certificate, diploma or bachelors degree level in any department/institute involving children or vulnerable persons.

Postgraduate research work in any department/institute involving children or vulnerable persons.

Students intending to undertake certain activities and/or voluntary work with departments/offices at Maynooth University, where they may have access to children and/or vulnerable persons, will also be required to be vetted. The relevant department/office at Maynooth University provides Vetting Invitation Forms (NVB1) to the relevant students where required.

Activities requiring Vetting include the following: (this list is subject to annual review)

Coderdojo Volunteers with the Computer Science Department

Maynooth Access Programme Student Ambassador volunteers with the Access Office

Students undertaking relevant work or activities with children and/or vulnerable persons as part of the Maynooth University Student Experience Award (MUSE) programme

Visiting students of partner universities undertaking relevant work or activities with children or vulnerable persons.

When you are offered or accept a place on one of the programmes that require Garda Vetting, or register with a department to undertake activities with children/vulnerable persons, the relevant department will forward a Vetting Invitation Form (NVB1) to you to complete, along with a set of guidelines on how to complete the form.  You must sign this form to provide authorisation for the Garda Vetting process. The completed form can then be returned directly to your department along with sufficient forms of identification for verification, and any other supporting documentation required.

No. 
The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 make it a legal requirement for any person working with children or vulnerable persons to be vetted by An Garda Síochána prior to commencing their role. 

If a vetting applicant has resided outside of Ireland for a continuous period of 6 months or more over the age of 18, they must also include a Police Clearance Certificate from the relevant jurisdictions along with their Vetting Invitation Form.  Some countries, such as the UK, have different levels of Police Clearance so please do not hesitate to contact the Student Vetting Office at [email protected] if you have any queries in relation to the Police Clearance Certificates that we require.

The website below provides further information on how to obtain Police Clearance Certificates from various countries.
http://www.canadavisa.com/canadian-immigration-police-clearance.html 
 

The 100 Point Check is recommended as a guideline to verify identification documentation by An Garda Síochána. This involves providing documentation with your Vetting Invitation Form that leads to a full 100 points or more, including one form of identification with a photo and a proof of current address.

Details on how to complete the online vetting application form are available at the following link:
User Guide Help 

When the National Vetting Bureau have completed an eVetting application, they produce a Vetting Disclosure which is sent directly to the Student Vetting Officer at Maynooth University.
A Vetting Disclosure document includes particulars of the criminal record (if any), and the specified information (if any) of the vetting applicant, or it will contain a statement that there is no criminal record or specified information in relation to the applicant.

The disclosure will be reviewed by the Student Vetting Officer, and following a successful outcome, the disclosure will be forwarded to the student in a timely manner.

If there is information on this disclosure that warrants further discussions/action, the process as cited in the Maynooth University Student Vetting Policy (2020) will be followed. 

No.
A Vetting Disclosure is not transferable to another organisation, so if you are undertaking relevant work or activities with children or vulnerable persons, Maynooth University are legally obliged to vet you again.

Yes.
You must be Garda vetted when you are carrying out relevant work or activities with children and/or vulnerable persons whether you are supervised or unsupervised.

A 'child' is defined as a person under the age of 18 years.

A 'vulnerable person' means a person, other than a child, who–

a) is suffering from a disorder of the mind, whether as a result of mental illness or dementia,

b) has an intellectual disability,

c) is suffering from a physical impairment, whether as a result of injury, illness or age, or

d) has a physical disability,

which is of such a nature or degree–

         i) as to restrict the capacity of the person to guard himself or herself against harm by another person, or
         ii) that results in the person requiring assistance with the activities of daily living including dressing, eating, walking, washing and bathing.

Any work or activities, carried out by a person, a necessary and regular part of which consists mainly of the person having access to, or contact with children or vulnerable persons. Details of relevant work or activities are outlined in Parts 1 and 2 of Schedule 1 of the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016, and are available to view here.