The Department of Integration confirmed that it does not always contract full benefits for temporary accommodation of refugees, which means that it is not responsible for the child protection policies of all staff.
“Many of them continue to operate as commercial hospitality properties,” the spokesperson said, reports Independent.
“Accordingly, the Department does not employ staff in accommodation facilities for Ukrainians, and each contractor is responsible for its child protection policy and, consequently, for its Garda vetting policy,” reports Independent.
The same principle applies to commercial accommodation and various types of commercially supplied facilities.
This is in contrast to the security around centres providing direct assistance to asylum seekers.
“The designated member ensures that centre managers are categorised as designated liaison persons under Children First and notifies them that they are required to make mandatory reports of concerns relating to children resident in the centre,” he said, reports Independent.
“A designated team in IPAS is responsible for notifying the centre manager that it is mandatory for anyone who is undertaking relevant work in an accommodation centre to be garda vetted, regardless of whether this is on a permanent, temporary, full-time or part-time basis. Garda vetting is a requirement for any staff who undertake work that consists of having access to or contact with children,” he added, reports Independent.
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