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3.4 Northern Ireland

Updated

Criminal Record Checking

In Northern Ireland, an AccessNI check covers an individual’s criminal history information. The purpose of this check is to help organisations make safer recruitment decisions. The law requires certain positions to be checked to ensure that barred individuals don’t work with vulnerable groups.

All Event Directors and Run Directors at junior parkrun events in Northern Ireland must have an Access NI Enhanced Clearance check.

Athletics NI will process the checks for these volunteers in Northern Ireland. Note that clearance received through other sources (eg employment), is not transferable.

  1. The applicant should go to https://athleticsni.org/Safeguarding/AccessNI-&-Licensing and follow the step by step instructions.
    1. At the account login, create an account entering Athletics NI pin 405352
    2. Applicants will then receive a personal email with a link and a unique 10 digit number to activate their account
  2. After activating their account, applicants should log in and look for ‘enhanced clearance’ and follow instructions to complete it
    1. When asked for ‘programme reference’ the name of the junior parkrun event should be entered, including the words ‘junior parkrun’.
    2. In addition to the online application, applicants should ensure that an ID validation form is completed and sent to Athletics NI by mail or email to: Athletics House, Old Coach Road, Belfast BT9 5PR info@athleticsni.org
    The ID validation form can be found on the same link as above.

You will receive your certificate through the post. The parkrun Safeguarding Lead will need to verify this; please email a scanned or photographed copy of it to safeguardingUK@parkrun.com, where it will be verified then deleted.

If your record is not ‘clean’ Athletics NI will contact you, asking you to send your certificate into them so they can see what is on it. They will make a decision, along with the Safeguarding Lead at parkrun UK, as to whether this will impact your ability to volunteer in the role of Event/Run Director.

Once a decision has been made, you will be notified and your certificate will be returned by Athletics NI.

parkrun UK HQ will keep a record of which volunteers have completed an Enhanced Clearance check and the date.

An Access NI check never legally goes out of date, but it is best practice to renew them every three years.