Please see attached flyer for more information.
Is it a safe place for our kids?
www.kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au
A guide for parents, November 2014.
What is a ‘child safe’ place?
Parents have a right to know who is working with their children.
Understanding the Working With Children Check.
How do you know they have a Check?
What parents can do.
As a parent or carer you play an important role in making sure your
kids are spending time in places that are safe. This guide will help you look out for ‘child safe’ places.
Child safe means making sure the place where our kids spend time is safe from neglect, physical, sexual or emotional harm or abuse. A child safe place will have rules that are set up to make sure our kids are kept safe. It is your business to know who is working with your children. Every day kids around NSW spend time with adults outside of their home. This can be at places like a sports club, youth group centre, or a drama studio. As a parent orguardian you need to understand what organisations should be doing to keep your child safe.
It is the law that people who work with your children including many tutors, nannies, coaches and counsellors have a current Working With Children Check. However, there is much more an organisation can do to keep kids safe.
In NSW all people who are working with your children (as well as a number of volunteers) need to have a current NSW
Working With Children Check clearance number.
Some people don’t have to get a Working With Children Check number, such as a parent that volunteers in an activity
that involves their own child e.g. a sports coach. The Check provides either a clearance or a bar to work with children.
It is a crime for a person with a bar to work or volunteer with children.
Parents and guardians are now able to ‘verify’ if the person working with their child (under 18) has a Working With Children Check. When we say ‘verify’, we mean parents can check online.
By checking online you will instantly see if the person is allowed to work with your child. Also, if they become a ‘barred’ person we will let you know. You will however need to know their details, including their name, birth date, application or clearance number.
It is the law for bosses to check or verify online that their workers and volunteers have a current Working With Children Check clearance number. So you don’t need to check a person who is employed but if your child has a coach or tutor that you pay directly you can go online to verify a Working With Children Check.