CHILDMINDING IRELAND has called for the mandatory vetting of all people who work with children by the Garda following new figures showing just over half of its own members have been vetted.
The survey, which was compiled by Childminding Ireland to coincide with the start of national childminding week, found 56 per cent of childminders registered with the organisation had completed Garda vetting. A further 17 per cent of childminders said they had applied for Garda vetting and were still awaiting a response.
Patricia Murray, chief executive of Childminding Ireland, said her only criticism about Garda vetting was that it did not happen fast enough because it could take seven or eight weeks to complete.
"I don't think anyone who is caring for or hands-on working with children in any shape or form should not be Garda vetted. They should be vetted," she told The Irish Timesyesterday.
Some 73 per cent of respondents said it took between one to two months to complete Garda vetting. For the rest it took between one month and a year to complete.
Ms Murray said parents were increasingly discussing and demanding Garda vetting to take place and this meant it was becoming a reality whether it was mandatory or not.
Childminding Ireland is an umbrella group for childminders. It requires all its 1,300 registered childminders to apply for Garda vetting.
Under the Child Care (Pre- School services) regulations, any childminder in a creche registered with the Health Service Executive (HSE) must undergo vetting. However, many of the estimated 30,000 childminders that remain unregistered do not have to submit to vetting by the Garda.
Minister for Children Barry Andrews said it was his view that everyone who worked with children should be vetted by the Garda.
Reflecting the increasing number of foreign nationals providing childminding services, one in 10 respondents to the survey said they had sought Garda vetting from other jurisdictions. They had an 86 per cent success rate.