Re-vetting

1. What is re-vetting?

Re-vetting is the process by which the Council will require teachers previously vetted under the former Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) process to apply for an updated vetting.

Teachers who do not hold a National Vetting Bureau (NVB) Disclosure, as they were vetted prior to the establishment of the NVB on 29 April 2016, will be issued re-vetting requests over the coming months.

Re-vetting will be carried out as part of teacher’s registration renewal process in accordance with Section 33 of the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015.

Teachers who are issued re-vetting notices should comply with the notices within the specified timeframe given in the notice in order to be eligible to renew their registration.

2. What is the relevant legislation with regard to re-vetting?

National Vetting Bureau Act (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012

Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions and Certain Disclosures) Act 2016

Teaching Council Acts, 2001 – 2015

3. How do I know if I need to be re-vetted or how do I know what type of vetting I have?

All registered teachers who have been vetted through the Teaching Council will have been issued with either a Teaching Council GCVU vetting result letter (prior to 29 April 2016) or a National Vetting Bureau Disclosure (after 29 April 2016).

Teachers who hold the older GCVU vetting result, which was issued prior to 29 April 2016, will be required to update their vetting to a NVB Disclosure.

Registered teachers can check their vetting details by logging in to view /change their registration details using a password at the link here. Once successfully logged in, the most recent vetting information held by the Teaching Council is available to view under the 'Vetting Details' option.

Teachers who hold a NVB Vetting Disclosure are not included in the current re-vetting project. They will have a:

Vetting Clearance dated after 29 April 2016 with
Vetting Clearance Reference beginning with TEC

NVB Vetting Disclosure

NVB Vetting

Teachers who were vetted prior to the establishment of the NVB will have a vetting clearance reference in the format 06/0000 to 16/00000.

GCVU Vetting Disclosure

GCVU Vetting Disclosure

4. I have a NVB vetting disclosure issued through another organisation. Will I have to undergo re-vetting as part of my registration renewal?

Yes. The Council cannot accept vetting undertaken by a third party. Only vetting via the Council can be accepted for registration renewal. As part of the registration renewal process, the Council is re-vetting all teachers who were vetted prior to the establishment of the National Vetting Bureau on 29 April 2016.

As such, the Council is using its own records in order to assess which teachers have a re-vetting requirement. For registration renewal purposes you must comply with a vetting request from the Council.

5. How will I know when I have to commence the re-vetting process?

The Council will write to each of the registered teachers who do not hold a NVB Vetting disclosure. Letters will be issued on a phased basis to the teachers concerned in advance of their registration renewal date. Some teachers will receive their notice early in the project e.g. October 2018, while others will not be contacted until later e.g. February 2019. The timing will depend on the teachers' registration renewal date and the Council's schedule.

You must apply for vetting when requested in order to renew your registration. Failure to comply with the requirement to be re-vetted may mean that your registration will not be renewed and that you will lapse from the register. This would mean that you would not be eligible to receive a salary paid by the State.

6. Will I be able to renew my registration if I do not comply?

No. Failure to apply for re-vetting when requested may mean that your registration is not renewed and that you are removed from the register. Only teachers who have a current registration status with the Teaching Council are eligible to receive a salary paid by the State.

7. Can I renew my registration if my re-vetting disclosure is not back from the NVB prior to my renewal date?

Yes. Teachers who are issued a re-vetting notice and who complete the two part vetting application process will be deemed compliant with re-vetting and will be eligible to pay their annual registration renewal fee in order to remain on the Register of Teachers.

Where a Vetting Disclosure is returned by the National Vetting Bureau after a teacher's renewal date, their registration renewal will be subject to the approval of the Council.

Where a conviction/ specified information is returned, renewal will be subject to the approval of the Council's Evidence of Character Panel.

Registration renewal will not be deemed valid until the Disclosure is returned and processed by the Council.

8. Can I postpone being re-vetted?

No. You will be notified by post when you are required to apply.

9. I am on a career break/ going on career break during 2018 or 2019; Do I still need to be re-vetted?

Yes. Regardless of their employment situation, all registered teachers wishing to remain on the Register must comply with the Council's re-vetting request. You must apply for vetting when requested to do so in order to renew your registration. Failure to apply for vetting when requested may mean that your registration is not renewed, and that you are removed from the Register. Only teachers who have a current registration status with the Teaching Council are eligible to receive a salary paid by the State.

10. I'm retiring during 2019; do I still need to be vetted?

Please note that if you are retiring during the summer months that you must be on the Register up to your retirement date as otherwise your salary will stop. All registered teachers wishing to remain on the Register must comply with the Council’s re-vetting request.

You must apply for vetting when requested to do so in order to renew your registration. Failure to apply for vetting when requested may mean that your registration is not renewed, and that you are removed from the Register. Only teachers who have a current registration status with the Teaching Council are eligible to receive a salary paid by the State.

Pension payments do not require a retired teacher to be registered with the Council.

11. I am a registered teacher who does not hold a NVB vetting disclosure. I may apply for promotion or move to another school this year. Should I wait for the Teaching Council to invite me to apply to re-vetting?

No. The requirements for vetting under Circular 0031/2016 will continue to apply for all teachers who are changing employment. The Teaching Council will continue to operate its standard vetting procedures for registration and for those commencing and changing employment.

12. Do I need to have an email address to complete the vetting process?

Yes. The National Vetting Bureau has devised an e-vetting (on-line) solution to ensure speed and accuracy in the vetting process. An email address is a requirement to undertake vetting.

13. I have changed my email address in recent months, how can I update my details?

Registered teachers can update their contact details by logging on to My Registration section of the Teaching Council website www.teachingcouncil.ie.

14. I notice a requirement to provide all of my addresses from birth on my vetting application form. I cannot remember the exact details of where I have lived, is this information necessary?

Yes. It is a legal requirement to provide the National Vetting Bureau with a list of your addresses since birth in order for their record search to be undertaken in the correct manner. Any gaps in your address history will cause delays and other potential issues with your vetting application. Where it is not possible to provide full information, please provide as much information as possible.

15. I have received an email link from the NVB requiring me to provide all of my addresses from birth. How much time do I have to complete this form?

The Council will write to each of the registered teachers who do not hold a NVB vetting disclosure to inform them of the requirement to be vetted and a specific timeframe within which they must complete both stages of the application process.

While an email link to the National Vetting Bureau website may remain active for 30 days, this is the Bureau's system timeframe not the Council's timeframe. You are asked to complete this step of the process immediately in order to adhere with Council specified timeframes.

You must apply for vetting when requested to do so and within the timeframe specified by the Council in order to renew your registration. Failure to comply with the requirement to be vetted may mean that your registration will not be renewed and that you will be removed from the register. This would mean that you would not be eligible to receive a salary paid by the State.

16. Do I need to provide overseas police clearance as I am a registered teacher who has lived overseas for more than three years?

No, you are not required to provide police clearance for your period of overseas as you are a registered teacher. The requirement to provide overseas police clearance applies to teachers applying for initial registration only.

17. What is a disclosure?

All outcomes of the vetting process are called ‘Disclosure’.

National Vetting Bureau (NVB) disclosures are categorised in two ways: Nil disclosures and Trace disclosures.

The Nil vetting disclosures includes:

a statement that there is no criminal record or specified information in relation to the person (see Q.18 for more information on Specified Information).

The (Trace) vetting disclosure includes:

particulars of the criminal record (if any) relating to the person, and a statement of the specified information (if any) relating to the person, which the Chief Bureau Officer has determined should be disclosed in accordance with section 15 of the NVB Act.

Certain minor convictions which occurred more than seven years ago and which are deemed spent in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions and Certain Disclosures) Act, 2016 may not be disclosed. (Please see Q.20 for more information).

18. What is specified (soft) information?

Specified information means information concerning a finding or allegation of harm to another person, which has been recorded by the National Vetting Bureau following an investigation by An Garda Síochána, TUSLA (the Child and Family Agency), the HSE or another organisation listed in schedule 2 of the NVB Acts. The process for the disclosure of specified information by the National Vetting Bureau is set out in the NVB Acts. Amongst other things, the Chief Bureau Officer must be satisfied that the disclosure is necessary, proportionate and reasonable in the circumstances in order to protect children and vulnerable persons.

The vetting applicant is informed by the National Vetting Bureau of the intention to disclose specified information and has the right to appeal the disclosure to the National Vetting Bureau in accordance with legislative procedures.

19. Do I have to disclose all convictions?

Where an application for a vetting disclosure is being submitted to the Bureau you are required to provide details of all convictions as part of the application, except for convictions to which section 14A of the NVB Acts applies. More information can be found here. If you are unsure of your standing in relation to a particular offence please seek the appropriate legal advice.

20. How will I receive the Vetting Disclosure (Result)?

You will be notified (via the email address that you used for applying for vetting) that your vetting disclosure is available for viewing. Disclosures are issued to teachers through an online system called Digitary. See Q.21 for more information on Digitary.

21. What is the Teaching Council's secure online vetting facility (Digitary)?

The Teaching Council will issue your vetting disclosure (vetting result) through a secure online portal called Digitary. Digitary is a web-based solution that enables institutions to securely issue official documents online.

Teachers can access their vetting result via the secure web portal. From there, they can share the vetting result online with third parties including school/employers in a controlled and audited manner. The third parties (e.g., the employer), can authenticate shared documents with the permission of the document owner, i.e., the teacher.

The online solution is a highly secure, interoperable and extensible electronic document solution. It uses XML Advanced Electronic Signatures (XAdES) and FIPS 140-3 level 3 certified cryptographic tokens to produce Qualified Electronic Signatures under the EU Digital Signature Directive 1999/EC/93.

Further information on the online solution is available here.

22. Will the Council provide the disclosure directly to my employer?

No, under Section 33 of the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015, the Council may provide your employer with the information contained in the vetting disclosure only in cases where the information received from the NVB gives rise to a bona fide concern of harm to a child or vulnerable person. Teachers may wish to share their vetting disclosure with their school employer(s) when they have completed the vetting process.

23. What is the "Fit and Proper Person" assessment process?

If a Trace Disclosure is received by the Teaching Council from the National Vetting Bureau, then the registered teacher concerned may be subject to the Council’s Fit and Proper Person Assessment process under Section 33 of the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015.

The Teaching Council's Evidence of Character Panel is responsible for making fit and proper person assessments. Where the Panel refuses to register an applicant or imposes conditions on the applicant's registration, the applicant / teacher may request the Registration Committee Review Group to review the decision of the Panel.

The Teaching Council has put in place the following documents to assist the Evidence of Character Panel and the Review Group when making fit and proper assessments.

24. Under what circumstance can a teacher be suspended from the register?

The Council may, having regard to the information contained in the vetting disclosure of a registered teacher where it is satisfied that it is in the public interest to do so, apply to the High Court under section 47 for an order that during the period specified in the order, his/her registration shall be suspended.