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Working with Children Check Policy

This is not a current document. It has been repealed and is no longer in force.

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) The Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012 aims to reduce the risk of abuse to children by establishing the Working with Children Check. The check is a screening mechanism to reduce the likelihood that unsuitable people work in child-related employment.

(2) This document sets out Charles Sturt University's (University's) policy on the Working with Children Check.

(3) The objectives of the Policy are to:

  1. ensure the safety of children in their places of learning;
  2. ensure the suitability of employees, job applicants, volunteers and students for direct contact with children as part of their employment or studies at Charles Sturt University (the University); and
  3. prevent people convicted of sex offences, acts of indecency, child abuse or child pornography, kidnapping or murder of a child from working in child-related employment, research or practicum placements.

Scope

(4) This Policy applies to:

  1. employees, including volunteer workers, undertaking work that involves direct contact with children, where that contact is not directly supervised;
  2. the University staff or students undertaking research in which children are participants or subjects; and
  3. the University students undertaking practicum placements in workplaces where contact with children cannot be avoided, e.g. teacher education training in schools and clinical education training in hospitals.
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Section 2 - Glossary

(5) Nil.

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Section 3 - Policy

Part A - Child-related Employment at Charles Sturt University

(6) The following positions in the the University have been identified as child-related employment for the purposes of the Act:

  1. employees in the the University's child care centres;
  2. academic staff undertaking research in which children are participants or subjects;
  3. staff undertaking student recruitment or information sessions in schools;
  4. staff conducting tours of the the University for school children; and
  5. other positions involved in work that has foreseeable or anticipated direct contact with children, where that contact is not directly supervised.

(7) All other positions in the the University have been assessed to determine whether they primarily have direct contact with children where that contact is not directly supervised, i.e. to determine whether they are child-related employment.

(8) The status of each position has been noted on the the University's staffing establishment.

Part B - Employment Screening

(9) As part of the the University's recruitment process, all recommended applicants for positions determined as child-related employment are screened to assess their suitability for working with children.

(10) Charles Sturt University uses the Employment Screening Unit (ESU) within the NSW Department of Education and Training.

Part C - Working with Children Check Procedure

(11) the University students and staff who will be undertaking work with children in an unsupervised capacity download the forms contained at the following web sites:

  1. Working with Children Consent Form
  2. Prohibited Employment Declaration.

(12) They complete the Consent Form and Prohibited Employment Declaration Form, and forward them to:

HR Service Centre
Division of Human Resources
Charles Sturt University
Phillips Building (C1-1)
Panorama Avenue
Bathurst, NSW, 2795.
The Division of Human Resources forwards the completed forms to the Employment Screening Unit within the Department of Education and Training to undertake a structured risk assessment process that assesses a number of factors, including the nature of the position.
The ESU sends the risk assessment outcome notification/report to the the University.
If there are no issues of concern that would prejudice an applicant's engagement, then the ESU issues a clearance in relation to that applicant.
An applicant is not to be employed if:
  1. they refuse to complete the Prohibited Employment Declaration or Consent to Employment Screening;
  2. they indicate that they are a prohibited person;
  3. the ESU's risk rating for the applicant is "low-medium" or higher; or
  4. the ESU advises that the person is ineligible for child-related employment. NOTE: An ineligible person is prohibited from child-related employment under the Act.
Where an applicant is rejected as a result of the Working with Children Check, or where an applicant is identified as a "low-medium" or higher risk assessment, then the the University notifies the Commission for Children and Young People using the Rejected Applicants Notification form. A copy of this form is also retained, filed confidentially in secure storage, and the person's details entered on the the University's "Not to be employed list".

Part D - Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

The Executive Director, Human Resources, or nominee, monitors the implementation of the Working with Children Check Policy. This includes review with appropriate stakeholders and reporting on compliance as required.
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Section 4 - Procedures

Nil.
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Section 5 - Guidelines

Nil.