Risk Assessment & Child Safeguarding Statement

This first national child welfare audit was created in June 2017 to enable all of the Gaelic Games’ Associations, GAA, LGFA, Camogie, Rounders and Handball, capture relevant data that shall inform us as to our adherence to child welfare and protection policies and particularly how we fulfill our safeguarding responsibilities at Club level.

As this was the first such audit Clubs were encouraged to participate in the process by completing a series of questions on-line via gaa.ie.  Each Club Children’s Officer had the option of responding whether as a joint response e.g. on behalf of all Gaelic Games Associations or individually on behalf of the GAA (including Handball and Rounders). A similar option was made available to both LGFA and Camogie Association at Club level.

Risk Assessment & Child Safeguarding Statement

The Gaelic Games Associations operate a joint Child Safeguarding Policy which is enshrined in our rules and the content of which reflects how we address our Association, legal and statutory safeguarding obligations.

One specific aspect of this joint policy & of our legal obligations is that as a provider of a ‘relevant service for children’, all Units (i.e. Club, County, & National) must undertake a Child Safeguarding Risk Assessment to consider and examine all aspects of our services, e.g. coaching, training, games, social activities, Scór etc. from a safeguarding perspective, and to establish whether there are practices or features in place that have the potential to put children at risk of harm.

Once a Risk Assessment has been discussed and adopted by the relevant Executive Committee, the unit must complete a Child Safeguarding Statement. The Statement is a written statement that specifies the safeguarding service being provided by our Associations and our units, and the principles and procedures that ensure, as far as practicable, that a child availing of our service is safe from harm. It should set out any potential risk of harm to a child that the unit may have identified in their risk assessment, and the procedures that are in place to reduce the identified risks. The Club Child Safeguarding Statement outlines in template format what a statement should contain. Once completed & signed by the Club/County Children’s Officer, the statement should be put on public display e.g., Clubhouse wall, Club website, social media etc.

The Child Safeguarding Risk Assessment and Safeguarding Statement is completed on Foireann. If required, please contact safeguardingriskassessment@gaa.ie for a template Child Safeguarding Statement.

Please see link below for documents for further information on the 2025 Risk Assessment process

https://www.gaa.ie/the-gaa/child-safeguarding-and-protection/children-first