Inspired to Document
Modern day practice in early years education brings with it necessary documentation and our learning stories are simply an extension of this, however taking part in the learning story awards brings the added benefit of making our experiences meaningful and insightful for families and the wider community.
We take great pride in the opportunities we provide in Carraig Briste & Killegney Early Years, where the value of child led practice and the voice of the young child is respected and truly heard. The stories that have won awards are always a simple honest account of every day experiences inspired by the child. These experiences, I have no doubt, are replicated throughout every county in Ireland each day.
Learning stories give us an opportunity to self-reflect, analyse and share practice within our team, developing an ethos and style of practice which reflects our unique set of beliefs for quality in early years education. This is echoed throughout our team and Chantel and Anne wanted to share their thoughts on learning stories.
Chantel:
The learning stories opened my eyes to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, seeing how a baby discovers her reflection in a mirror, a toddler beginning to climb a rock, a child excitedly telling his friends that his daddy is a carpenter and invites him to visit. And most importantly, the stories remind me as an early educator to slow down, really observe a child as an individual and notice the incredible achievements they accomplish every day.
Having won learning story awards over the years, it is a time of celebration, goodwill, pride and joy. On a deeper level, it has developed a strong self-belief within our team, motivating us to further enhance and develop this very cohesive approach within our settings, whereby providing opportunities for the highest provision for quality care and education in our communities are our absolute priority.
Anne says:
As a team and community, we have both been inspired and reflective of the value that the awards place on early years care and education. These awards through Early Childhood Ireland have brought joy, excitement, exploration and investigative thinking throughout our settings. As educators we are growing in confidence and discovering more successful ways of implementing theory into practice observing meaning within what may seem the tinniest of detail.
In our practice we see how important the validation of our Learning Stories and the recognition from Early Childhood Ireland has been, giving us an enormous sense of security and trust. As our stories become more widely known within our community and local towns, the voice of the Child becomes stronger, valued and more recognized. This creates a wonderful sense of well-being and satisfaction among our wider community, and most of all the process of entering learning stories with Early Childhood Ireland is really good fun.
Bio:
Orlagh Doyle, along with her husband James, lead a team of twenty- five early years educators in their settings in Carriage Briste & Killegney. Orlagh’s love and passion for early years began in 2003 and has evolved and blossomed to its success of today. Her philosophy is influenced by both herself and James who been brought up in farming backgrounds. Orlagh trained as a St Nicholas Montessori teacher many decades ago, and is working towards her Masters later on this year. As a team in both settings, they constantly engage in continuous professional development, which is reflected in the quality of care and education they provide. The pedagogy and ideals of Carraig Briste & Killegney Early Years are based upon seeing children as capable, resourceful individuals, with a strong voice deserving of the utmost respect in their enabling indoor and outdoor spaces. They love creating beautiful environments in Carraig Briste & Killegney. Their settings are influenced by Reggio Emilia and this sits very well with their Montessori approach. Their settings are gifted with large outdoor spaces which support their love of all year- round outdoor experiences for children.
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International Students – Everything you need to know
Key Requirements for International Students
International students play an increasingly important role in Early Years and School Age Care settings. Ensuring that robust Garda Vetting processes are followed is essential to safeguarding children, supporting services, and protecting students themselves.
Why Garda Vetting Matters
Garda Vetting is a key safeguarding measure and a legal requirement for anyone who will have access to children or vulnerable persons. For international students, vetting requirements are more detailed due to time spent living outside Ireland.
International students aged 16 years and over, cannot begin placement until all vetting requirements have been fully completed and cleared.
Garda Vetting Requirements for International Students
Identity validation is a critical step to ensure compliance and the safeguarding of children. As international students are abroad, the requirements of the identity validation process differ, so it’s important to understand what applies to you as the validator before you start. To make things easier, we’ve created a Tip Sheet with everything you need to know for validating your applicant’s identity.
The Tip Sheet has two different pathways explaining the Identity Validation process:
- For applicants living in Ireland
- For applicants living outside of Ireland
Each pathway is designed to guide validators through every step of the identity validation process, ensuring clarity and compliance. To make this even easier, you can download and print our Tip Sheet, which you can display in your service for quick reference whenever needed.
Download our Tip Sheet here.
Important: Police clearance certificates are still required in addition to Garda Vetting — one does not replace the other.
Timing: Plan Ahead
Due to ECRIS additional checks, any applicant who has previously lived or living in another EU Member State (other than Ireland) or the UK will experience longer Garda Vetting application processing times. Please keep in mind the following current processing timelines:
Standard applications (Irish addresses only):
- 18–20 working days (previously shorter)
Note: Around 20% may take longer, especially if an applicant’s details are entered incorrectly
Applications with EU address history:
- Add up to 10 extra working days
Total: approx. 28–30 working days
Applications with UK address history:
- Add up to 20 extra working days
Total: approx. 38–40 working days
Best practice: Begin the vetting process as soon as placement is being considered.
Students Aged 16 but Under 18 Years of Age
International students aged between 16 and 18 will be subject to the same application processing timelines outlined above. Garda Vetting for students aged 16–17 is referred to as Under 18s vetting and to begin, validators will need to obtain the following documents:
- The parent/guardian must complete this form
- The parent/guardian must sign and date their consent
- Must be completed in full and be legible
- Parent/guardian must provide their own email address and phone number (not the student’s) on the Vetting Invitation NVB1 Form
- Consent box ticked (digital tick not accepted)
- Signed and dated by the applicant using a handwritten signature (digital signatures not accepted)
- Proof of Identity and Written Reference from the Accepted Document Table
- Students must provide either of the following as proof of identity:
- Passport
- Birth certificate
- Students need to provide a written statement by their school principal confirming attendance
- Letter must be on school letterhead paper
The Most Common Issue that causes Delays
The most common cause of delays in the vetting process is a lack of follow-up with applicants. It is your responsibility as an Early Years and School Age Care setting to follow up with your applicants to ensure that they have:
- Received the link sent by the NVB to complete their application
- Completed and submitted the link correctly sent by the NVB
If the applicant cannot access or has not received the link from the NVB, the vetting process cannot begin.
Common reasons for applicant’s not receiving links from the NVB include:
- Incorrect email address (e.g., spelling mistakes)
- Incorrect date of birth entered
To prevent this, it is vital that all information entered online matches the hard-copy documents (NVB1 form and the Identity Document Validation Form) identically.
Avoiding delays is essential, but is particularly important for international student applications, as placement timelines are often time sensitive. Given current processing times, delays must be avoided, so please ensure you follow up with applicants to confirm their applications are completed promptly
Key Takeaways
- Garda Vetting and Police Clearance are both mandatory
- Police clearance is required from each country of residence (6+ months)
- Plan ahead: Keep in mind current application processing times
- Follow up with your applicants to ensure link has been received and completed
- No placement may begin until garda vetting is complete
Helpful Information
Practical Tools and Resources to Guide Affiliates:
Early Years provision based on children’s needs in England
Early Years and School Age Care Staffing Issues Need Urgent Action
Share this post
More to explore
International Students – Everything you need to know
Key Requirements for International Students
International students play an increasingly important role in Early Years and School Age Care settings. Ensuring that robust Garda Vetting processes are followed is essential to safeguarding children, supporting services, and protecting students themselves.
Why Garda Vetting Matters
Garda Vetting is a key safeguarding measure and a legal requirement for anyone who will have access to children or vulnerable persons. For international students, vetting requirements are more detailed due to time spent living outside Ireland.
International students aged 16 years and over, cannot begin placement until all vetting requirements have been fully completed and cleared.
Garda Vetting Requirements for International Students
Identity validation is a critical step to ensure compliance and the safeguarding of children. As international students are abroad, the requirements of the identity validation process differ, so it’s important to understand what applies to you as the validator before you start. To make things easier, we’ve created a Tip Sheet with everything you need to know for validating your applicant’s identity.
The Tip Sheet has two different pathways explaining the Identity Validation process:
- For applicants living in Ireland
- For applicants living outside of Ireland
Each pathway is designed to guide validators through every step of the identity validation process, ensuring clarity and compliance. To make this even easier, you can download and print our Tip Sheet, which you can display in your service for quick reference whenever needed.
Download our Tip Sheet here.
Important: Police clearance certificates are still required in addition to Garda Vetting — one does not replace the other.
Timing: Plan Ahead
Due to ECRIS additional checks, any applicant who has previously lived or living in another EU Member State (other than Ireland) or the UK will experience longer Garda Vetting application processing times. Please keep in mind the following current processing timelines:
Standard applications (Irish addresses only):
- 18–20 working days (previously shorter)
Note: Around 20% may take longer, especially if an applicant’s details are entered incorrectly
Applications with EU address history:
- Add up to 10 extra working days
Total: approx. 28–30 working days
Applications with UK address history:
- Add up to 20 extra working days
Total: approx. 38–40 working days
Best practice: Begin the vetting process as soon as placement is being considered.
Students Aged 16 but Under 18 Years of Age
International students aged between 16 and 18 will be subject to the same application processing timelines outlined above. Garda Vetting for students aged 16–17 is referred to as Under 18s vetting and to begin, validators will need to obtain the following documents:
- The parent/guardian must complete this form
- The parent/guardian must sign and date their consent
- Must be completed in full and be legible
- Parent/guardian must provide their own email address and phone number (not the student’s) on the Vetting Invitation NVB1 Form
- Consent box ticked (digital tick not accepted)
- Signed and dated by the applicant using a handwritten signature (digital signatures not accepted)
- Proof of Identity and Written Reference from the Accepted Document Table
- Students must provide either of the following as proof of identity:
- Passport
- Birth certificate
- Students need to provide a written statement by their school principal confirming attendance
- Letter must be on school letterhead paper
The Most Common Issue that causes Delays
The most common cause of delays in the vetting process is a lack of follow-up with applicants. It is your responsibility as an Early Years and School Age Care setting to follow up with your applicants to ensure that they have:
- Received the link sent by the NVB to complete their application
- Completed and submitted the link correctly sent by the NVB
If the applicant cannot access or has not received the link from the NVB, the vetting process cannot begin.
Common reasons for applicant’s not receiving links from the NVB include:
- Incorrect email address (e.g., spelling mistakes)
- Incorrect date of birth entered
To prevent this, it is vital that all information entered online matches the hard-copy documents (NVB1 form and the Identity Document Validation Form) identically.
Avoiding delays is essential, but is particularly important for international student applications, as placement timelines are often time sensitive. Given current processing times, delays must be avoided, so please ensure you follow up with applicants to confirm their applications are completed promptly
Key Takeaways
- Garda Vetting and Police Clearance are both mandatory
- Police clearance is required from each country of residence (6+ months)
- Plan ahead: Keep in mind current application processing times
- Follow up with your applicants to ensure link has been received and completed
- No placement may begin until garda vetting is complete
Helpful Information
Practical Tools and Resources to Guide Affiliates:
Early Years provision based on children’s needs in England
