Garda vetting is necessary for some CAO courses. Anyone who is offered a place in the areas of medicine, health care, nursing, social work or teaching will require clearance from the Garda Vetting Unit when they register. Garda clearance is sought only when a person is accepting a place on a course.
When the HEI is making an offer on a relevant course to an applicant, it will send that applicant a form to complete, where they must give their name, date of birth and all addresses they have lived in since their birth. They will also be asked to disclose on that form any convictions they may have. Each HEI submits all the forms to the Garda Vetting Unit for clearance, and the Garda Vetting Unit returns forms to the college when it has processed them.
Francis O' Toole Author - Careers Ireland 