ISPCC urges vetting of volunteers

THE ISPCC has reiterated calls for the introduction of vetting procedures for people working in the voluntary sector.

Outlining its three main aims for 2003 yesterday, the child protection agency said it would also target child pornography and again called on the Church to submit details of all staff to the Central Vetting Unit.

“At the moment, the vetting system is not satisfactory. The gardaí carry out checks on people employed by the health boards but they haven’t the capacity to check the backgrounds of people working with children in the voluntary sector,” said director of services Grace Kelly.

Voluntary organisations looking to hire staff to work with children must rely solely on a garda check of criminal records. The organisers of the Special Olympics, who will have to recruit 30,000 volunteers before the games begin in June, will also have to rely on these checks.

Yet statistics show that only one in 10 abusers have criminal records. Ms Kelly said only a full garda clearance of a person’s background would protect children.

The Department of Justice has set up a working group to examine the issue of allowing the Garda Central Vetting Unit to check staff in the voluntary sector. “It has only recently been established so there’s no date for its report yet,” said spokeswoman Caron McCaffrey. Child pornography is also a growing concern for the society. It said there was clear evidence that those who download or purchase child pornography on the internet were a threat to children.

“It’s the responsibility of all of us to keep up with new technology and how it operates. Parents should be aware of the risks of the internet and have good communication with their children. Children should feel safe in telling adults about what they see on the internet,” said Ms Kelly.

The ISPCC recommends that the family computer should be kept in a common room and that children should never give out their names and addresses over the internet.

The agency has announced that it is to extend its Leanbh service this year. In 2002, it helped take 62 children off the streets, compared with 18 in 2001. The sightings of child beggars also decreased from 1,766 in 2001 to 1,322 last year.