Dial An Angel Blog Working With Children Checks Are Just One Piece Of The Puzzle

If you have volunteered to help at your child's school or pre-school, chances are high that you would have been asked to fill in a form enabling them to do a background check on you.The check involves screening for a range of criminal offences, as well as restraining orders. Can you do likewise when hiring a nanny or babysitter? If you hire someone through an agency, they should have done this for you but it is worth clarifying as not all agencies conduct stringent screening, personal interviews and reference checking. As with all parenting issues, it comes down to being vigilant and using your personal judgment. Never be embarrassed to ask questions. Your child's wellbeing may depend on it.Working with Children Checks are now mandatory in most States and Territories in Australia. The requirement for suitability checks for staff and volunteers working with children and young people varies greatly across the nation. The following information and Internet sites are a guide to obtaining information on police clearances and checks. Remember that childcare workers need to fulfil the checking and clearance requirements of the State in which they are working as there are no checks required on a national basis.Australian Capital TerritoryThe Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 (the Act) commenced on 8 November 2012.The Act aims to reduce the risk of harm or neglect to vulnerable people in the A.C.T. by requiring people who have contact with vulnerable people while engaging in regulated activities and services to register with the Office of Regulatory Services (ORS).There are three types of registration that can be granted:General Registration - allowing for movement between all regulated activities for 3 years without the need to reapplyConditional Registration - imposes specific restrictions upon the registration e.g. being unable to transport vulnerable people due to a drink driving offence resulting in loss of license.Role Based Registration - restricted to activities with a single nominated employer without the freedom to move between regulated activities The Legislation is being rolled out in stages, with employees and volunteers required to register for working with children activities between 8 November 2012 and 7 November 2013. For more information on the rollout and registration periods see this website: http://www.ors.act.gov.au/community/working_with_vulnerable_peopleNew South WalesThe NSW Commission for Children and Young People has made changes to the NSW Working with Children Check as of July 2013. The NSW Working with Children Check is now called the NEW NSW Working with Children Check.A Working with Children Check is a prerequisite for anyone in child-related work. It involves a national criminal history check and review of findings of workplace misconduct.The result of a Working with Children Check is either a clearance to work with children for five years, or a bar against working with children. Cleared applicants are subject to ongoing monitoring, and any relevant new records, which appear against a cleared applicant's name, may lead to the clearance being revoked.The Check is fully portable which means it can be used for any paid or unpaid child-related work in NSW for as long as the worker remains cleared.The check is able to access national police records and review the findings for all offences, not just those related to children.For those currently on the old working with children check, you will be phased in to the new system over 5 years on an industry-by-industry basis.For more information on the changes to this legislation see http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au/Working-with-children/New-Working-with-Children-CheckNorthern Territory From 1 July 2011 it was mandatory for people who have contact or potential contact with children in certain specified areas of employment to hold a Working with Children Clearance NoticeClearance Notices are designed to keep children safe by preventing those who pose a risk to the safety of children from working with them, in either paid or volunteer work. Everyone who is issued with a Working with Children Clearance Notice will also receive an Ochre Card. The Ochre Card can be carried with you in a wallet or purse as easy proof that you hold a Working with Children Clearance Notice.Not everyone is required to get a check, to see the details of all activities that require a Working with Children Clearance see this website http://www.workingwithchildren.nt.gov.au/categories.htmlQueenslandThe Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian (Queensland) is responsible for the blue card (criminal history checks) for people wanting to commence employment or volunteer work with children, and covers police checks. http://www.ccypcg.qld.gov.au/bluecard/index.htmlSouth AustraliaObtaining criminal history reports is embedded in the Children's Protection Act (Section 8B). Further information is available at the South Australian Department for Families and Communities.A National Police Certificate Application Form is available on the website of the South Australian Police Department.TasmaniaAt present, there are no legal statutes that require people working with children to undergo a police check, although individual organisations may have their own policies in this regard.The Commissioner for Children Tasmania released a consultation paper discussing proposals for the government to introduce policies and procedures for Tasmanian organisations to screen individuals who seek to work with children in a voluntary or paid capacity. Criminal history record checks are provided by the Tasmanian Police Department.VictoriaThe Victorian Government has introduced the Working with Children Check, which is compulsory for people who wish to work with or volunteer with children.The check seeks to protect children from harm by requiring people to undertake a criminal history check before they start work in an organisation.Western AustraliaIn Western Australia, a Working with Children Check is compulsory for people who carry out child-related work in Western Australia.The check aims to protect children by deterring people from working with children when they have criminal records that indicate they may harm children; and by preventing people with such records from gaining positions of trust in paid and voluntary work with children.Keep in mind that police checks are of limited value. All they can tell you is whether a person has a criminal history. They will not tell you if the person has committed a crime but has not been caught. Neither can they tell you that a person is not going to offend in the future! It is very important to compile as much information as you can and Working with Children Checks are only one piece of the puzzle. Professional reference checking and personal interviews are the other two important pieces of the puzzle for complete piece of mind. Danielle Robertson is the CEO of DIAL-AN-ANGEL. Established in 1967 it is the only national agency specialising in the provision of aged, home and child care. The agency provides Angels for housekeeping & home cleaning, gardening & home maintenance, nannying and babysitting, supervised contact visits, party help, aged care, in-home nursing, dementia, palliative and disability care in the home. A wide range of services are available to businesses such as medico legal reporting, employee work-life flexibility programs, trade promotions for competitions and emergency care programs for children and seniors.As a national company, we have offices around Australia in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Central Coast, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth and Sydney. For further information call 1300 721 111 or email administration@dialanangel.comChild Сare