Stepaside FC

Founded 2018

Co. Dublin

Volunteer On-boarding Policy

 

APPLICATION, VETTING AND INVITATION TO VOLUNTEER - ONBOARDING PROCESS

You have been invited to apply to volunteer for Stepaside Football Club. To volunteer, you have to be happy to go through the Club’s volunteer application and recruitment process.

All you need to do at the moment is complete the Volunteer Application & Self-Declaration Form including the details of your 2 character references that the Club will contact to vouch for you. Please ensure you include their emails and mobiles as this quickens the whole process. Please note that your character referees must not be related to you nor should they be existing members of the Club.  You must also have their prior permission for Stepaside Football Club to contact them by email/phone.

While most are, not all people who apply to volunteer at Stepaside Football Club are suited to volunteer with young children. We will organise a brief coffee/chat with you to discuss your application (usually on a Saturday a.m. or a workday evening). Once we receive your application form, we will take up character references and send you a Garda Vetting Application Form with instructions on how to complete and return.

Please note that going through the volunteer recruitment process does not commit you to any greater time commitment than you are comfortable or in a position to give! It’s about the Club ensuring that it has taken all reasonable steps to responsibly and safely recruit adults into the Club who will get to act as positive role models for the children - something for which the Club, parents and children are very grateful.                                 

Stepaside Football Club believes that positive role model volunteers understand that volunteering to work with children in the Club is a privilege - not a right. Thank you for helping us in this area of volunteer recruitment.  The Club’s Safeguarding Policy and Safeguarding Statement are available on our website on http://stepasidefc.com/pages/child-safeguarding-statement for your recommended perusal.                             

The FAI Garda Vetting Policy explanation is available here: https://www.fai.ie/domestic/safeguarding/garda-vetting.  We will send you a Garda Vetting Application Invitation Form once your Volunteer Application & Self-Declaration Form has been received and reviewed. 

 

Yours sincerely,

Club Secretary: Graham Maher

Stepaside Football Club


Club Volunteer Recruitment Process


1. Club Secretary (Graham Maher), issues a Volunteer Application & Self Declaration Form to the volunteer (the volunteer confirming he/she will abide by the FAI and the Club’s Code of Conduct for Coaches/Parents, and Code of Practice & Rules).


2. Applicant Volunteer completes Volunteer Application and Self Declaration Form.


3. Designated Liaison Person screens the Application Form and sends the Garda Vetting Invitation to the applicant requesting completion. Designated Liaison Person asks for a copy of their Passport or Driver’s Licence to be returned to the Designated Liaison Person.



4. The Club Secretary and/or Committee Member arrange a time to meet you for a brief coffee/chat to discuss your application (usually on a Saturday a.m.) , why you want to help out, and to enable you to take a view if the Club’s ethos fits in with the volunteer opportunity you are looking for. Similarly, we will want to get a feel for whether you will be a good fit for the Club’s ethos and approach to volunteer work with underage children. We will usually let you know following that meeting if we intend to obtain character references and to submit your form to the FAI for Garda Vetting. If we are not going to process your application any further, we will let you know at the relevant stage.

For identity verification purposes, you’ll need to bring along to our meeting:

   a.         ONE item of Volunteer ID (passport, driver’s licence) and
   b.       TWO recent proofs of address from the last 3 months (utility bill, TV licence, credit card statement, bank or building society document etc).

We simply note having seen these and do not at this time require a copy.

This might seem like ‘overkill’, but the unfortunate truth is that in all societies there are people who deliberately hide their real identity in order to gain access to children, so it is important that we have verified that you are who you say you are (even if we already know you in the community!).

5. Club obtains Character References from the applicant's 2 x Referees, followed up by phone, and the applicants ask an Authorise Person to sign their completed Garda Vetting form and check their copy of identity documents. The applicant submits the forms (as explained in this video: https://www.fai.ie/domestic/safeguarding/garda-vetting also either by post marked:

Private and Confidential, Child Welfare, Football Association of Ireland, National Sports Campus, Abbotstown, Dublin 15

Or online at:

https://fainet.ie/vkal/mod_vkal/webflow.do?event=SHOW_VERANSTALTUNG&dmg_company=IRL&params.veranstaltungId=02AAFCG814000000VUM100GLVT1L3BED 

 


6. Club Committee decides to approve or not approve applicant volunteer (subject to our meeting, obtaining satisfactory character references, and Garda Vetting).

Club Secretary confirms applicant is an approved volunteer, or not approved, as the case may be.

Mandatory Safeguarding 1 workshop training and FAI coaching will be provided in due course, the former within 90 days of becoming a volunteer. Induction and a Trial Period will apply. Appointment is conditional on the successful completion of a trial period which gives the Club an opportunity to assess the suitability of a new volunteer to work with children and his or her commitment to the Club’s policies on safe practices.

 

 

 

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