Protecting our Young Members

All registered members of Basketball Ireland and each club member must sign up to the Code of Ethics for Children’s Sport and the Code of Conduct when they become a member. 

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Safeguarding Contact Information

NCO (National Children’s Officer) : Rory Wall, safeguarding@ireland.basketball  or +353 86 7980155
GVDLP (Garda Vetting Liaison Person):  Rory Wall, safeguarding@ireland.basketball  or +353 86 7980155
DLP 1 (Designated Liaison Person):  Triona Leahy, tleahy@ireland.basketball
DLP 2 (Designated Liaison Person):  John Feehan, jfeehan@ireland.basketball

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Reporting Process

The following steps should be taken in reporting alleged child abuse to the statutory authorities:

1. Note dates, times, locations and context in which the incident occurred, or suspicion was aroused, together with any other relevant information.
2. Report the matter as soon as possible to the club Designated Liaison Person (DLP), or national Designated Liaison Person (DLP) with responsibility for reporting abuse. If the Designated Liaison Person (DLP) has reasonable grounds for believing that the child has been abused, or is at risk of abuse, s/he will make a report to the health service executive/social services, who have statutory responsibility to investigate and assess suspected, or actual child abuse.
3. If the Designated Child Safeguarding Officer (DSCO) is unsure whether reasonable grounds for concern exist and If you suspect someone you know may be a victim of abuse, or if you are a victim of abuse yourself, you should contact your local health centre, your GP, public health nurse or the Garda Síochana.
4. Alternatively, call the HSE’s National Safeguarding Office at (061) 461 358. The HSE has Safeguarding and Protection Teams in place in every region of the country.
5. You can also contact the HSE Information Line on 1800 700 700. If confidentiality is required, phone the Garda confidential line on 1800 666 111.
6. In cases of emergency, where a child appears to be at immediate and serious risk and the Designated Child Safeguarding Officer (DSCO) is unable to contact a duty social worker, the Gardaí authorities should be contacted. Under no circumstances should a child be left in a dangerous situation pending intervention by the Statutory Authorities.

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A Designated Child Safeguarding Officer (DSCO) reporting suspected, or actual, child abuse to the Statutory Authorities, will first inform the family of their intention to make such a report, unless doing so would endanger the child, or undermine an investigation. If they are unsure, they should consult informally with the Statutory Agencies before informing the parents.

The national DSCO (Designated Child Safeguarding Officer) should be informed of:

• Any reports being made to Statutory Bodies.
• Name of any leader being asked to step aside and brief details of the case.
• Any case of poor practice which cannot adequately resolved at local level

To read more, see our full Safeguarding Policy below in the dropdowns.

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GARDA VETTING

Garda vetting is in place since 2010 (e-vetting since February 2017) and at this point, all those working directly with children in Basketball related activities must be Garda Vetted.  

Garda Vetting results are not currently transferable between organisations. In other words, if you as an individual have been vetted for a school, your result will not suffice as being Garda Vetted for Basketball Ireland. We understand that this is inconvenient but we must work with the system that is place in Ireland at the moment.

  More Detailed Garda Vetting information

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