Guidance For Dealing With & Reporting Allegations Or Concerns Of Abuse

The newly published Guidance for Dealing with & Reporting Allegations and Concerns of Abuse, which applies to all of our Gaelic Games Associations, was launched at the GAA Annual congress and it is a much-welcomed publication. It is an All-Ireland document in that the guidance given applies equally to both the jurisdiction covered by Tusla and by the HSC Gateway teams.

The aim of this publication is to provide us all with a guidance document to deal with allegations or concerns of abuse as made known to us and to advise and direct us on how we may without any undue delay report such matters to the relevant statutory authorities.

The publican is now available online at https://www.gaa.ie/api/pdfs/image/upload/n5hsvzyl3eb5kbrfbyfe.pdf

and it is a must read and a reference booklet for Designated Liaison Persons (DLP) and for Children’s Officers.

The Guidance is packed with very useful information including:

– the role of the DLP, such as the role of the DLP

– our statutory obligations in all jurisdictions

– our Policy & Practice in recording and reporting

– child safeguarding structures in independent, amalgamated or combined teams

– clear direction on how to specifically deal with allegations/concerns, how to impose a debarment and how to report without delay to the relevant statutory authority and to the Association’s

National DLP

– contact details for both Tusla and Gateway Teams

The Guidance for Dealing with & Reporting Allegations and Concerns of Abuse should be downloaded and placed on every Club and County website for members and parents to read.