Mayo Councillor calls for Garda vetting changes amid volunteer decline concerns
Cllr Adrian Forkan warned that the current Garda vetting system is creating unnecessary barriers for people who want to volunteer in local communities.
A Kiltimagh-based councillor has called for changes to the Garda vetting system, warning that the current process is creating unnecessary barriers for people who want to volunteer in local communities.
Speaking at Mayo County Council’s Strategic Policy Committee for Community, Integration and Recreation, Cllr Adrian Forkan said that while Garda vetting and safeguarding are essential, the current system can make it difficult for volunteers who give their time to more than one organisation.
“Volunteerism is something that's definitely on the wane. I can see it from our own groups, and I think our Garda vetting and safeguarding side of things in relation to volunteerism is having a big impact,” Cllr Forkan said.
He said greater recognition was needed for people who volunteer across multiple organisations, particularly in sports and community activities.
“We all know it has to be done, but there has to be a way that we can either secure a three-year Garda vetting or some way of allowing people who go through the process of Garda vetting to be able to stay Garda vetted for a three-year period,” he said.
Cllr Forkan pointed to the example of teachers and other adults who work with children during the day but also volunteer with local sports clubs in the evenings.
“Taking, for instance, a teacher who teaches a class of six-year-old boys at 12, trains them at 12 o'clock in the day – unless he's fully Garda vetted, then he can't take training in the local GAA club at four o'clock. There's something not right with it,” he said.
He also highlighted what he described as unnecessary duplication when volunteers are involved with more than one sporting organisation.
“If I train the group of soccer lads at 13 at four o'clock and take the GAA lads at six o'clock, all but one will be the same group, which you can't do unless you're Garda vetted in both the soccer club and the GAA club,” Cllr Forkan said.
He stressed that he was not questioning the importance of safeguarding or the need for Garda vetting, but said the system should be made more practical for volunteers.
Cllr Forkan suggested that Garda vetting could, where appropriate, be recognised across multiple organisations for a defined period, reducing duplication while maintaining necessary safeguarding standards.
“I think it's killing volunteerism and that we have to find some way of regulating that,” he said.
He said any changes would need to strike a balance between protecting children and vulnerable people and reducing unnecessary administrative barriers for those willing to give their time to local clubs and community organisations.
With volunteers playing a central role in the running of sporting, recreational and community groups across Mayo, Cllr Forkan said the issue warranted further consideration at both local and national level.