POLICY ON GARDA VETTING FOR STUDENTS OF MTU Cork

The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 provide a statutory basis for mandatory vetting of persons who wish to undertake a work placement and/or activities that bring them into contact with children and/or vulnerable adults.

Some programmes at MTU Cork require students to undertake mandatory placements with external agencies, which will bring them into contact with children and/or vulnerable adults and in which they will assume positions of public trust. The University is committed to ensuring that only suitable candidates are allowed to undertake these programmes.

Apart from the listed programmes, any students who engage in or are in the vicinity of activities that may involve unsupervised access to children and/or vulnerable adults will also be subject to the Institute’s Vetting processes.

MTU Cork uses the National Vetting Bureau (NVB) to help assess the suitability of all applicants on such programmes. It is important to note that participation in or completion of these programmes may be affected by subsequent disclosure/discovery.

Students who have resided outside of the Republic of Ireland for a period of 6 months or more (from the age of 18 years) shall also be required to furnish a Police Clearance Certificate from their country or countries of residence. This Certificate should confirm if a student has any convictions recorded against him or her while residing there. If a student is unable to obtain a Police Clearance Certificate, they will be required to obtain a legal declaration (Affidavit) in the presence of a Commissioner of Oaths or a Solicitor confirming that they have no criminal convictions, current or pending.

PROCEDURE FOR GARDA VETTING

In the Republic of Ireland responsibility for the vetting of all personnel working in a full-time, part-time or in a voluntary capacity with children or vulnerable adults, lies with the NVB.

MTU Cork has appointed the Academic Administration and Student Affairs Manager, Dr Dan Collins, to act as the ‘Liasion Person’ on behalf of the University with the National Vetting Bureau (NVB) and Ms Marguerite Lynch as the Administrative Coordinator for Student Garda Vetting.

The Liasion Person may be assisted in his duties by the Institutes Vetting Committee comprising of the relevant Head of Faculty/College (chairperson), the relevant Head of Department and Course Co-Ordinator.

In appropriate cases, MTU Cork may require an applicant to undergo risk assessment.

MTU Cork requires students on the following designated programmes (the list is subject to review) to be vetted by the NVB.

Offers of places on these designated programmes will be provisional and contingent on the applicant’s satisfactory completion of MTU Cork’s Garda Vetting Procedure.

Depending upon the outcome of the vetting process, the Institute reserves the following rights:

• to not register a student
• to remove an existing registered student
• to delay the student’s practice placement modules on course

Students who fail to engage with the Vetting Process as required by MTU Cork are liable to have their course offers withdrawn and/or registration cancelled by the Institute.

For further information on the Student Garda Vetting Process please see policy document.