Statutory vetting of anyone who works with children should be mandatory, child welfare agencies said today.
The ISPCC and Barnardos made the call following revelations that a leading childcare lecturer has resigned after he revealed his conviction for attempted indecent assault in 2005.
Dr Niall McElwee tendered his resignation to the Athlone Institute of Technology last week as a result of the incident at a hotel in Amsterdam in June 2004, involving US tourists age 15 to 18.
ISPCC assistant services director, Caroline O'Sullivan, said Garda checks were not mandatory beyond Health Service Executive and justice department staff who had direct access to children - which excluded senior officials and board members.
"The big problem with [vetting] at the moment is it's voluntary. . . . That's just not good enough," she said.
Dr McElwee was convicted in September 2005 of two counts of attempted indecent assault. According to court documents, he propositioned one woman for sexual favours and got into bed semi-naked with another. He was given a three-month suspended sentence, two years' probation and was fined €3,500.
His conviction came to light on Wednesday last week when he informed the director of Athlone Institute of Technology about it and then resigned. Dr McElwee said he did so "on foot of threatened revelations by different parties to the media".
Barnardos has called for tough vetting laws to be introduced. Chief Executive Fergus Finlay said the case would never have come to light with today's level of vetting and "this must cause the Government to look again at child protection issues".
Mr Finlay said sex offenders were using open European borders as a means to evade detection and prosecution.
Fine Gael has called for an EU-wide criminal information network, particularly for information on sexual offenders.
Justice Spokesman Jim O'Keeffe TD said: "[The case] raises serious doubts about the current ability of the Irish and EU authorities to track and monitor sexual offenders."
But Minister for Children Brendan Smith said the Garda vetting process was working well and that there were plans to increase its staffing and capacity.
He said vetting of all staff in the child care sector would start from September and denied there were no statutory requirement regarding vetting, citing regulations introduced last year.
Use of the Garda vetting unit by voluntary agencies - including staff working with children in playgroups, sports clubs and disabled services - was only made available last year. At least 60 agencies are having staff checked by the unit, the ISPCC's Ms O'Sullivan said.