Please see below Frequently Asked Questions. If you cannot find what you are looking for please feel free to contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Child Safeguarding
Should a person present themselves to a Club as a potential underage coach or be approached to take up such a role they will, in accordance with our procedures, have to be vetted, must complete a minimum coaching qualification and must also complete Gaelic Games Child Safeguarding Training. They must complete these requirements prior to commencing any role with children in our Associations.
If a person attends their initial safeguarding training (Safeguarding 1) with another sports organisation or with a Local Sports Partnership, we continue to recognise this training and the individual will then complete their child safeguarding training requirements by undertaking the new Gaelic Games online refresher training programme (outlined below). The new online programme shall be completed by the individual within a timeframe agreed with their Club. This agreement only applies to safeguarding training, as promoted by Sport Ireland, and is delivered by other sports bodies or LSPs. It does not apply to non-sports child safeguarding training.
Similar to all other underage coaches in any of the Gaelic Games Associations if a person attends their initial safeguarding training (Safeguarding 1) with another sports organisation or with a LSP and then completes the online programme they must still be vetted and must have a recognised coaching qualification.
Safeguarding 1 - Child Protection in Sport Awareness Workshops are relevant to coaches and others who work in a regulated role with children in the Association. Coaches, parents, underage committees, Referees and the Club Children’s Officer and the Designated Liaison Person are required to attend the Safeguarding 1 workshop.
Safeguarding 2 - Club Children’s Officer Workshops are for Club and County Children’s Officers who must have completed Safeguarding 1 before they attend Safeguarding 2.
Safeguarding 3 – Designated Liaison Person Training (DLPS) at Club and County level. The Club Children’s Officer may also wish to attend but this is not a mandatory requirement of their role. The DLP must have completed Safeguarding 1 before they attend Safeguarding 3.
Available for Camogie coaches as part of our joint approach to Child Safeguarding within the Gaelic Games Associations a new online Child Safeguarding Programme.
The online Safeguarding Programme addresses a long-standing request that we introduce easy to access training as a repeat or refresher programme for those who have previously attended face-to-face child safeguarding training.
To participate and complete the online training a participant, i.e. a coach or a person working in a role of responsibility with or for children, must have fulfilled one of the following requirements:
- They must within the last three years have attended a Gaelic Games Child Protection in Sport Awareness Workshop (Safeguarding 1) and they may then avail of the online programme in preference to attend another face-to-face repeat workshop, or
- The participant, having attended a non-Gaelic Games Child Protection Safeguarding 1 Workshop with another sports organisation or a Local Sports Partnership (LSP), must then also undertake the new online Child Safeguarding Programme so as to familiarise themselves with our agreed safeguarding policies, procedures and in particular our joint Code of Behaviour (Underage) prior to commencing their work with children in any of the Gaelic Games Associations.
The DLP workshop is now available for Counties. If County Children’s Officer wish to organise a workshop please contact roberta.farrell@camogie.ie.
Safeguarding is valid for 3 years, please refer to the Safeguarding Training Policy.
Adult teams may still have a player who is 17 years old on the team. The coach is responsible for the 17-year-old players at training and at matches and our workshops cater for those who work with anybody under 18 years of age.
A person must be 16 years old to attend the Safeguarding 1 Workshop and parental consent must be provided by the parent/guardian for the participant by completing the Gaelic Games Parental Consent Form.
All Camogie Clubs in Ireland are now required to carry out a Child Safeguarding Risk Assessment, following which they are obliged to then agree on the contents of a Child Safeguarding Statement. Clubs are then obliged to put that Statement on display in their Club premises or where Club teams meet or play. This is now a legal requirement in accordance with Children First legislation but has also been adopted by the Association to include all Clubs on the island of Ireland as part of our general good child safeguarding practices.
The Code of Behaviour (Underage) contains much of what you require for your statement and we have also published a new and revised Child Safeguarding Statement template that you may find to be most useful in completing the new Statement https://camogie.ie/administration/child-welfare/children-first-2/
Please ensure that the new amended Child Safeguarding Statement template recently agreed with Tusla’s Child Safeguarding Statement Compliance Unit and circulated earlier this year by the Camogie Association is on display within the Club.
If, having examined the Child Safeguarding Statement template, your Club believes it accurately reflects and addresses the practices and procedures that are required to address identified safeguarding risks then you may add your Club logo to the Statement and put it on display in a visible area in the Club once it has been endorsed by the Club Executive Committee.
If the new Child Safeguarding Statement does not reflect the procedures and practices that are required to address all safeguarding risks in your Club then you should amend the statement and ensure that its contents addresses all such needs before you put the Child Safeguarding Statement on display in your Club.
The Club Children’s Officer is the named person or ‘the relevant person’ for the purpose of the Child Safeguarding Statement. Therefore, it is this person who should lead and oversee this task on behalf of the Club or the Club Executive. The Club Children’s Officer will require assistance in completing all tasks and when the Risk Assessment has been completed and a draft Child Safeguarding Statement agreed it should then be forwarded to the Club Executive for consideration, discussion and ratification.
Legally it should be the Club Executive Committee that endorses the outcome of the Risk Assessment and the content of the Child Safeguarding Statement. This should be done at a Club Executive Committee meeting and noted in the minutes of that meeting. The Statement should be signed by the Club Children’s Officer.
Once agreed and put on display Clubs shall review their Child Safeguarding Statement review no later than 2 years for previous statement. This deadline is in accordance with legislative requirements.
If a Club caters for LGFA and GAA or perhaps GAA, Handball and Camogie, the Club Executive shall decide if one or more Child Safeguarding Statements will suffice. If it’s a GAA standalone Club, then one Statement only is required.
Similarly, if a Club has more than one Club Children’s Officer the Club Executive shall decide which Children’s Officer signs the Child Safeguarding Statement.
Clubs outside of Ireland should consider adopting the practice of carrying out a Risk Assessment and then agreeing a Child Safeguarding Statement to be displayed in Club premises or on Club grounds.
In accordance with vetting legislation, also referred to in the Children First Guidance, all persons who have a regulated role with children, (i.e. coaches, referees, Bord na nÓg members, parents who regularly assist in the Gaelic Games Associations) must be vetted by us before they take up their role. There are no exceptions to this directive.
If a person, who has not been vetted, continues to act in any of the above roles they will be breaking the law as may their Club for offering or facilitating such a role. Vetting regulations stipulate that a vetting applicant must be at least 16 years of age when submitting their application.
The Camogie Associations Vetting Policy states that once vetted an applicant shall be re-vetted within a five-year period. Please note that the Gaelic Games Associations are all vetted through the online E-Vetting system.
No, a person must be in receipt of their vetting acceptance letter before they take up the coaching role.
The Camogie Association Vetting Policy states that once vetted an applicant shall be re-vetted within a three-year period.
No, there is an agreement between the Gaelic Games Associations (Handball, Rounders, Camogie, LGFA and the GAA) that we each recognise each other’s vetting. Therefore, if you were vetted through the LGFA/GAA etc. your vetting will suffice for the Camogie Association and vice versa.
