FAQ for Vetting Subjects
To assist vetting subjects during the Garda Vetting process we have compiled a list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions. The below information may only be relevant to vetting subjects being vetted through Youth Work Ireland as each Garda Vetting Service operates differently.
If you are being vetted through Youth Work Ireland and are experiencing an issue with your application that is not highlighted here please contact Niamh on gardavetting@youthworkireland.ie or call 083 041 3286.
This FAQ was put together with the help of Dublin City Volunteer Centre.
Completing the Online Form
There are two ways to determine this:
- Our contact details will be listed in the invitation email
- The Application ID will start with YWI
Once we receive your vetting request from the organisation we will process your invitation within three working days.
Keep a lookout for an email from the National Vetting Bureau as the email will not come from us. Please check your spam/clutter/junk folder. If concerned please contact the organisation directly.
Once an invitation has expired we are unable to automatically reissue a new one.
The next step is for the Member Youth Service that requested your vetting to resubmit a new request to us. Please get in touch with them so they can resubmit your details.
The form must be completed in one sitting and will time out after an hour.
If you exit out of the form without submitting your information will not be saved.
The most common reason for this error is that the incorrect date of birth has been submitted by the organisation requesting your vetting.
Please contact us on gardavetting@youthworkireland.ie with your date of birth and we will resolve the issue.
This can be for two reasons:
- There is a space inserted after the email address, please delete it to continue.
- The incorrect email address is being in-putted e.g. Missing a full stop.
If fixing the above does not resolve the issue please send a screenshot or photo of the error page to gardavetting@youthworkireland.ie
Do not complete the form. This means the incorrect information was submitted when processing your invitation.
Please contact us at gardavetting@youthworkireland.ie to let us know and we can edit the information for you.
If you have a current valid passport please ensure you provide the number on the online form.
The passport field is not mandatory in case you do not have a passport, or if it is expired, lost or stolen.
This means the date of consent provided for the application has exceeded 180 days, the application is now void and the process must start again.
Please contact the organisation that requested your vetting to inform them. They will need to start the process again.
Providing Addresses
Where possible, full details must be provided for Irish addresses. If you cannot remember all addresses, ensure to provide as much detail as possible and leave no blanks e.g.
2001 – 2005: Main Street, Cork will most likely be rejected
Instead enter 2001 – 2005: Unknown house number, Main Street, Cork
Please note that Northern Ireland address must have a full postcode. If you have an address in Northern Ireland but cannot remember the postcode, you can use the Royal Mail Postcode and Address Finder tool to search for it. If you are still unable to locate the full postcode, entering ‘unknown postcode’ is sufficient.
If you have travelled for less than six months you do not need to declare it on your Garda Vetting form.
Addresses outside of the island of Ireland over 6 months do not require a full address but a general location and country is essential e.g. Los Angeles, California is sufficient. Locations should be entered separately where possible and not bunched together e.g:
1990 – 1991: Berlin, Germany
1991 – 1992: Paris, France
Rather than 1990 – 1992: Berlin, Germany and Paris, France
If travelling for extended periods of time to numerous locations, it is acceptable to bunch a few locations into one address, as long as there is an explanation e.g.
1990 – 1991: travelled various locations: Madrid, Spain; London, UK
If you were homeless for a period of time you can insert an explanation into the address, as well as a general location e.g.
2001 – 2005: No fixed address, Rathmines, Dublin
If you were staying in a hostel provide the address of the hostel.
You can provide the address of the prison.
This can be for two reasons:
- The final address has not been added,
must be clicked before continuing - There is a gap in the years lived at addresses; all addresses for all years from birth to present must be accounted for
If the above does not resolve the issue please send a screenshot or photo of the error to gardavetting@youthworkireland.ie
Tracking Your Application
You can check your application’s status at any time by clicking on the link in your invitation email.
You can find out more about what the statuses mean here: Application Statuses Explained
Please note: we are provided with no further information about individual applications.
Yes, you can cancel your application at any time during the process. If you have not yet completed the online form you can select ‘Cancel’ when you click on the link in the invitation email and log in.
If you have already completed and submitted the online form, you can cancel your application by emailing us directly.
You do not need to provide a reason for the cancellation.
Yes, the organisation that requested your vetting will be informed. If you cancelled and inserted a reason for the cancellation, the organisation will be provided with that reason. However, it is not mandatory to provide a reason.
There is no longer the option to fast-track an application. To ensure an application is processed as quickly as possible you can:
- Complete the form as soon as you receive it
- Ensure all details are correct when submitting to prevent delays and rejections
Most applications are returned by the National Vetting Bureau within 7-9 working days, however some take weeks or even months. It does not mean there is an issue with an application or that a conviction will be returned on the disclosure.
We are not provided with a reason for any delays.
This can be for a number of reasons:
- A duplicate request was submitted by the organisation and two invitations have been sent.
- You have completed the form, however it was rejected and sent back to be re-completed. You would have received an email informing you of this and providing you with a new link to re-complete.
- You have mistaken it with a different application for a separate role you are being vetted for, with a different organisation.
- You filled out the form but did not submit.
This is very common and no cause for concern. We are not provided with a reason.
The status of some applications may remain unchanged for weeks or sometimes months.
The status may also change, then revert back to ‘In Progress (NVB)’. No reason is provided for any delays.
This means that the disclosure has been returned to us but we have not yet downloaded it.
You will receive an email when we have downloaded the disclosure, we will then sent it to the requesting organisation within 1 working day.
Receiving Your Results
A disclosure is simply the end result of Garda vetting, every vetting application results in a disclosure regardless of whether the person has a conviction or not.
Your disclosure will be sent to the organisation that requested it within one working day. We will ONLY send the disclosure to the Garda Vetting Officer for the organisation.
Please contact the organisation that requested your vetting to discuss the next steps.
Disclosures are not sent directly to the vetting subject in an effort to protect data. Some vetting subjects do not have their own email address and would use a family or friend’s email; that means the disclosure would be sent to the family/friend. Or multiple people may have access to a vetting subject’s email and therefore could also access the disclosure.
A disclosure in the wrong hands is a potentially serious data breach. In an effort to negate that as much as possible we only send to the designated person within the requesting organisation. We understand it is your data, that is why we take every measure possible to protect it.
Details of all convictions pending or completed will be returned. However some convictions will be considered “spent” after 7 years and will not appear on your disclosure.
We cannot advise on individual cases, however further details of what will and will not be disclosed can be found here: Spent Convictions – Section 14A of the Act
If you are still unsure you can seek legal advice.
A criminal conviction does not mean an automatic exclusion from volunteering/working. An organisation should decide suitability on a case by case basis, we recommend they consider the following:
- The individual’s abilities, skills, experiences and qualifications
- The nature of the conviction and its relevance to the job
- Age of the person when offence(s) was committed
- The sentence(s) imposed
- The length of time since the offence took place
- Record of re-offending
- Conduct of the person before and after the offence
- Evidence of rehabilitation
- The risk to the service users, employees and organisation
- Training which may have occurred since the time of the individual’s offence
The organisation must give you a chance to respond to any information on your disclosure.
You can dispute the contents of your disclosure. To do so you need to outline in writing the exact basis of your dispute, the letter should then be posted to Niamh Codd, 20 Dominick St Lower, Rotunda, D01 YP97 or scanned and emailed to gardavetting@youthworkireland.ie. We will then forward it to the National Vetting Bureau who will correspond with us.
You can request a copy of your disclosure from the organisation that requested it, we cannot provide you with a copy.
However, disclosures are non-transferable and not valid with another role or organisation. Each organisation is responsible for vetting you separately.
You can contact the relevant embassy who should assist you, alternatively, Early Childhood Ireland have a useful section on obtaining a police certificate from countries outside Ireland.
