It is a statutory requirement under the National Vetting Act (Children and Vulnerable Persons) 2012 to 2016, that all individuals, volunteers or paid, working with Children and Vulnerable Persons on a regular basis have completed Garda vetting clearance before engaging with an Organisation or services. The Act creates offences and penalties for persons who fail to comply with its provisions. The Act commenced on the 29th April 2016.

Those who have occasional contact (‘now and then’ or ‘a once off event’ such as giving lifts, tournament/team assistants etc) come under the ‘occasional’ usage term and do not need to complete a vetting check however it is good practice to give such adults a code of conduct to sign annually. All those working with young people must also attend the relevant training workshops available.

Garda Vetting & AccessNI

Vetting is the pre-checking of an applicant’s background for criminal convictions or prosecutions. Vetting is just one part of Hockey Ireland’s Policy, the aim of which is to ensure that children and vulnerable people playing our sport do so in a safe and fun environment.

Anyone having regular contact with U18s in hockey must be vetted every 3 years. 

There are two types of vetting checks available to hockey

• National Vetting Bureau (NVB) – Republic of Ireland
• AccessNI  (ANI) – Northern Ireland

Hockey Ireland is registered with the National Vetting Bureau and has appointed a Liaison Person responsible for processing applications to carry out vetting checks for affiliated hockey clubs. Ulster Hockey is registered with Access NI and has an appointed Lead Signatory. If an individual is filling a position in the Republic of Ireland, Garda Vetting via the NVB is implemented. If an individual is filling a position in Northern Ireland, Access NI checking is implemented.

Hockey Ireland has drawn up its Garda Vetting Policy (applicable for the Republic of Ireland) in line with the National Vetting Bureau Act. In order to support clubs, branches and any other organisations with implementing Garda Vetting, a number of documents have been drawn up. As you work your way through this documentation and you have any queries, check out our Garda Vetting Frequently Asked Questions for clubs which should provide you with assistance.

Please note, individual applications will not be accepted and will be returned to the individual. Hockey Ireland will only accept vetting applications via member organisations i.e. club/branch. There is an administrative charge of €25 per non-member and HI members will not be charged. Should re-processing of an application be necessary due to the failure of the applicant to complete the first invitation, an additional €25 will be charged.