Garda vetting of youth workers is satisfactory but we can never be too careful when it comes to protecting young people, according to the Minister of State for Youth Affairs.
At the launch of a new child-protection awareness training programme for the youth work sector, Seán Haughey added that he believed the Government was "getting the balance right" when it came to ensuring freedom of association and the need to protect young people.
Ireland was recognised as a leader in child protection for the youth work sector, he added.
"Child protection is one of the most important issues facing society at present," the Minister said. "Vulnerable as they are, young people rely on adults for their protection and it is our responsibility to do all that we can to ensure that youth in our care are kept free from harm.
"This is a standardised child protection awareness training programme suitable for the wide variety of youth workers that operate in Ireland."
The new "awareness training programme", which consists of two four-hour sessions, aims to place an emphasis on child protection rather than child abuse.
It can be delivered as a training module in its own right, but has also been designed to reflect good youth work practice. It is intended that it will become part of youth work training.
Gearóid Ó Maoilmhichíl, national co-ordinator for child protection at the National Youth Council of Ireland, pointed out that the youth sector was very much volunteer-driven.