A key element of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014 has been the introduction of required safer recruitment procedures for people who work with children.
Children’s workers are those people who work with, or provide a service to, children:
A Core worker is someone who works with children and may be the only worker present or who has primary responsibly for or authority over a child or children present and is subject to specified convictions
A non-core worker a children’s worker who is not a core worker
There are now restrictions on core workers being employed or engaged with previous serious offences who may pose a risk to children. Theses are referred to as Workforce Restrictions
Regulations have been released with timeframes to ensure that staff have been safety checked. From July of this year all new ‘core children’s workers’ staff must have been safety checked under the new requirements, with all core children’s workers checked by July 2018. From July 2016 all new ‘non-core children’s workers’ must be safety checked, with all non-core children’s workers having been checked by July 2019.
Safer Recruitment, Safer Children
To support the legislation best practice guidelines have been developed to ensure that organisations develop procedures that are robust and effective. These guidelines explore how to advertise a position, the recruitment process, and how to assess a person's safety to work with children.
Further information is also available regarding Workforce Restrictions
Safer Recruitment, Safer Children
Safer Recruitment, Safer Children is a guide to ensure the people working with children are safe to do so. It has been developed in partnership between Child Matters and Ministry of Education on behalf of the Children’s Action Plan Directorate. The guidelines provide a practical and easy-to-follow pathway for organisations to choose safe and appropriate people to work with children – also known as ‘screening and vetting’.
Safer Recruitment, Safer Children guidelines support the Vulnerable Children Act 2014 in which new regulatory requirements and legal minimum standards will be introduced to safety check all government-funded paid employees. The guidelines have been developed in line with international best practice in safety checking.
Click here to to download the guide.
Click here for the Vulnerable Children (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015.
The above guidelines, Safer Recruitment, Safer Children refers to some additional tools & resources that are available on the Child Matters website. These can be downloaded using the links below.
Here are samples of recruitment and selection tools that can be used when recruiting new staff.
Click here for more information on the Police Vetting process and relevant forms
A checklist can help ensure that all necessary screening activities have indeed been carried out and completed. The checklist should be kept with the candidate's file and updated as each activity is completed. A sample can be provided by calling 07 838 3370.
Application forms are the foundation stone for good selection and an excellent way for gaining information about a candidate. This information can be checked out at a later time.
Application forms should be used in addition to a CV and in conjunction with a interview and reports from referees. This provides cross –checking opportunity which can indicate whether people are hiding anything – particularly about the reasons why they have left jobs, or what they were doing between jobs. These can be of the utmost relevance, as the issues may have a strong bearing on behaviour, personality and attitudes.
A candidate signs the application form agreeing that all the information supplied is the truth. A person who is prepared to sign such a form and who is not telling the truth, is probably not the person you are looking for.
Remember: The Privacy Act forbids you asking for information you don’t need.
A sample can be provided by calling 07 838 3370.
This consent form can be a separate form, or incorporated into your application form. A sample can be provided by calling 07 838 3370.
|Phone script for reference checks||
A phone check enables you to talk directly to referees and allows you to confirm other information provided by the applicant and to explore any concerns you may have. A sample can be provided by calling 07 838 3370.
If you are unable to contact a referee personally, consider asking them to complete a questionnaire for you. A sample can be provided by calling 07 838 3370.
Click here for an update on Safety Checking of Children's workers
Click here for information on criminal history checks between Australia and New Zealand.
For more information on safety checking requirements download our factsheet
Visit the Childrens Action Plan website
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