Safeguarding and Protection

Educating & protecting our children

The Code of Behaviour (Underage) is currently being reviewed and the current versions of the Code shall remain in place unitl the full review has been completed.

It is worth noting that the title of the Code of Behaviour (Underage) has been renamed to the Child Safeguarding Policy.

View the Child Safeguarding Policy here

The Gaelic Athletic Association is committed to creating and maintaining the safest possible environment for all young people who wish to participate in our Gaelic Games and activities. We will take all practicable steps to protect them from discernible forms of abuse, from harm, discrimination or degrading treatment and shall respect their rights, wishes and feelings.

We do this by:

  • Recognising that all children have the right to be protected from harm.
  • Ensuring that all of our coaches and volunteers are carefully recruited and selected and that they accept responsibility for ensuring the well-being of children in their care.
  • Responding swiftly and appropriately to protect the welfare of children who participate in our games and related activities.
  • Providing parents and children with the opportunity to voice any concerns that they may have.
  • Appointing Children’s Officers in each of our Clubs and at County Board level.
  • Appointing a National Children’s Officer to oversee the implementation of good child protection and welfare practices within the Association.
  • Appointing a Designated Person in each Club and County who will liaise with the statutory authorities as appropriate.
  • Appointing a National Designated Person to assist in the processing of child protection and welfare matters.
  • Ensuring that all allegations of abuse of young people are confidentially dealt with in accordance the Association’s Guidelines for Dealing with Allegations of Abuse and with statutory guidelines and relevant legislation.
  • Reviewing the effectiveness of our Child Protection procedures and policies on an ongoing basis.
  • Ensuring that members, coaches, team mentors, administrators, parents/guardians and spectators sign up to and adhere to our Code of Behaviour.

Maintaining Appropriate Levels of Behaviour in our Work with Children & Young People

Maintaining Good Practice and Behaviour addresses the appropriate levels of behaviour, practice and conduct required from our young players, officials, coaches, trainers, mentors, supporters, parents/guardians and clubs.

Download the November 2021 addition of Maintaining Good Practice and Behaviour – our code forms part of the Code of Behaviour (Underage).

The Code of Behaviour (Underage) is currently being reviewed and the current versions of the Code shall remain in place unitl the full review has been completed.

It is worth noting that the title of the Code of Behaviour (Underage) has been renamed to the Child Safeguarding Policy.

For more information, please contact the GAA National Children’s Officer, Michelle Harte at nationalchildrensofficer@gaa.ie

Resources:

 

Confidential Counselling Service Phone Number  HSE Area Cork & Kerry

HSE South           1800 234 116

 

Garda Vetting In The GAA

Vetting in the GAA

The GAA has long established the principle of vetting any person who, on our behalf, works with children or vulnerable adults in our Association. This principle is enshrined in rule through our Code of Best Practice in Youth Sport and has become part of the overall recruitment and selection process for those who wish to work with us in the GAA, in a voluntary or paid role.

When the Irish government commenced the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts on 29 April 2016 it brought mandatory vetting on the island of Ireland into being, given that it had previously been a legal requirement under AccessNI.

It is now a criminal offence, for a person acting on behalf of the GAA, or for the GAA as an Association to permit any person to commence working with children on behalf of the Association without that person first obtaining a vetting disclosure from the Nation Vetting Bureau in respect of the role for which they have been recruited.

GAA VETTING SYSTEM

The New Vetting system went live on Monday 4th of April 2022. The system is now part of Foireann and it is through this system that an individual will now apply to be vetted.

How to apply for Vetting in the Gaelic Games Association:

The Vetting process is broken down into three steps as follows:

Step 1: Logging in to Foireann

  1. Log into your account on Foireann or create an account on Foireann http://www.foireann.ie
  2. Please click on hyperlink for step by step guidance on how to apply for vetting on Foireann.

Step 2: Gaelic Games Vetting Invitation Form

  1. Once logged into your account on Foireann please
  2. click – on the Qualifications and Vetting tab
  3. click – Apply to be Vetted.

Please ensure your current details on your profile are correct.

Please then select your Club and or Association you wish to be vetted for and the role you are applying for vetting.

It is now a requirement to upload  

  • a copy or screenshot of your Photo ID (passport or drivers’ licence)

and

  • a proof of your current address in the form of a Utility Bill (no more than 6 months old).

You are also required to print and sign the Gaelic Game Vetting ID Validation Form and upload this as part of your vetting application

The full list of documents which are accepted for verification can be found here.

Your Club Children’s Officer will then check your ID Documentation and your signed Gaelic Games Vetting ID Validation Form.

If the documents are correct your application will be validated by your Club Children’s Officer and submitted to the GAA.

If the documents are not correct your Club Children’s Officer will reject your application and you will be required to upload the correct documentation.

Step 3: Completing the National Vetting Bureau EVetting Application form

Once you complete the Gaelic Games Invitation Form the information provided is forwarded to the National Vetting Bureau (NVB) by the GAA and you will receive an on-line NVB Vetting Form to complete.

The NVB will issue you with the NVB Vetting Application form.

This will be issued to the email address you provided in your Gaelic Games Invitation Form.

Completing this form is a confidential matter between you and the NVB.

All sections of the form including current and previous addresses, email address and contact telephone numbers, information on convictions and prosecutions (if any), plus other information will be required when completing the form.

Once all sections of the form have been answered and the form has been submitted, this then completes your application process for E Vetting in the GAA.

Within a short period of time you shall be contacted by the GAA informing you as to the outcome of the vetting application.

Further Information and links for forms can be found at: https://www.gaa.ie/the-gaa/child-safeguarding-and-protection/vetting

 

GAA National guidance issued relating to streaming/recording, resharing below for your information

Veo Camera
The National Children’s Office and Data Protection Officer met with Veo in September 2024. Our Data Protection Officer has assessed the risk from a data protection perspective and is satisfied that adult teams (with players 18 years of age or over) can proceed with using Veo cameras where the below conditions are met.
  • All individuals whose image will be captured/monitored by Veo cameras are aged 18 or over. Veo cameras can not be used if there are any individuals on the team aged under 18. Guidance for individuals aged under 18 will be shared at a later date by the National Childrens Office.
  • The below is circulated to all individuals i.e. players/coaches etc whose image will be captured on the cameras to ensure processing undertaken by Veo is clear and transparent and they are aware of their rights.
  • The Club/County are the data controller and define how the data captured by Veo is processed and are aware of their obligations in this regard.
  • If an individual does not wish for their image to be captured by the cameras and they object to their personal data being processed in this way, this objection must be respected and processing ceased. For the avoidance of doubt, this means that if someone advises that they do not want their image captured on Veo cameras, the camera(s) should not be used at all while they play or train.
A Chairde,
 
To continue to develop and promote our Club and County teams,  [Name of Club/County] GAA has invested in third party cameras from Veo.  
These cameras will be used to record matches and training, live stream fixtures, rewatch key moments and analyse performance at both a team and individual level. Veo also uses AI software to analyse performance on the pitch and generate match statistics. Further information in relation to Veo and it’s functionality is available on their website http://www.veo.co. The Veo privacy policy is also available here: https://www.veo.co/privacy
Should you have any questions, please contact [Name of Club/County representative].
 
Please note the above guidance is subject to change and may be updated. If you have any questions from a data protection perspective please contact dataprotection@gaa.ie  
I understand your query is relating specifically to VEO, but just mar eolas, Clubs/Counties are to inform us if they have any queries relating to recording/streaming of matches. Clubs/Counties who do make contact are made aware of the following steps:
We ask that this is sent to the third parties before permission is granted:
Step 1:
Where are the data retained?
Will it be shared with third parties?
Will it be processed outside of the EEA?
How long with the data be retained for?
What security measures are in place to protect the integrity and confidentiality of the data?
In addition, do we have a contract in place with the third party? If so does it include a Data Protection Agreement?
Step 2:
All going well with the above and we’re satisfied that this particular company meets the requirements outlined, you may proceed on the basis of step 2.
Written Parental permission is required from each players parent/guardian(s) who must be informed the match is being recorded/live streamed on X date for the purpose of streaming this particular game only.  If any parent/guardian does not give consent then the streaming of the game cannot proceed.
Both Clubs must also provide permission to the County Board, if one Club does not give consent then the streaming cannot go ahead. The club will need to verify with the County Board that written consent from the parent/guardian(s) of ALL players is obtained exclusively for the recording/live stream for this game only.  I would advise that an email from the Club to the County Board to verify consent has been obtained.
The County Board must also provide permission for the streaming of the game.
All attendees should be informed that the match is being recorded. A simple announcement prior to recording taking place will suffice.
Data minimisation principles must be adhered to i.e. only record the match itself and not warm up etc
To stream a match, consent must be obtained from the parents/guardians of all individuals from both teams, match officials and anyone else who may appear in the footage. If the club hires an external provider for the streaming, separate consent is required from all involved, as the storage, retention, and sharing of the data may vary based on the provider’s policies, which are beyond the club and Counties control (see above). Consent must also be obtained from the County CCC.
As previously advised, at this time, we do not recommend recording, storing, or sharing match footage until a formal guidance document is available that outlines best practices for safely handling content involving young people. The data controller—the individual or entity responsible for recording and managing the footage—must be fully aware of their obligations, but this guidance has not yet been finalised.
Please note, a policy for Streaming/recording of matches is currently being drafted with the input of other relevant departments in Croke Park – we will be sure to share with Counties as soon as the policy is approved