There’s nothing more important than keeping our children safe. While it’s a parent’s responsibility to keep their children safe at home, it’s our responsibility as a community to keep our children safe when they’re away from home and at school.
This is where Working With Children Checks comes in.
A Working With Children Check (WWCC) is a safeguard put into place by the government of Australia to ensure that every person who enters a school, whether it’s as a contractor or as a volunteer, has been properly vetted and is safe to have around children.
Let’s take a deeper look at WWCC, how it’s keeping our children safe, and what you need to know about this program.
A Working With Children Check is a government requirement for anyone in Australia who works or volunteers with children. Both people who work directly with children and people who work in an environment that involves children (like a school) need a WWCC.
Applicants are screened for any prior offences that might inhibit their ability to work near children or put children at risk, including drug offences and sexual or physical assault charges. WWCC also check for any prior work dismissals and investigate the cause to determine if the reason for dismissal could put children at risk.
Once approved, WWCC is valid for five years. However, WWCCs run regular checks to ensure no new information has come to light that would affect the person’s ability to work with children and can revoke the certification at any time, which would result in a person’s ban from working with children for 5 years.
WWCC is an important program. By conducting thorough background checks for anyone and everyone that has access to children, WWCCs add a layer of protection for the children of Australia. They keep violent offenders away from schools and keep children out of harm’s way. They ensure that every person who comes in contact with our children throughout the school day is free of a troubling criminal background.
They also put employers at ease. By making sure that every contractor and team member successfully acquires their Working With Children Check, you can rest easy knowing you can put any of your team members on any job – including work sites, like schools, that have children present. And thanks to WWCC’s regular checks to ensure compliance, you can rest easy knowing that any issues that might arise with a worker’s ability to work near or with children will be brought to your attention quickly.
At LinkSafe, we’re dedicated to ensuring not only the safety of the teams we work with but also the safety of the people they encounter while at work – including children. With LinkSafe’s cloud-based management system, you can keep track of every contractor’s and employee’s WWCC, make sure everyone is compliant, and be the first to know if there are any issues with a contractor or employee’s certification.
Ready to keep better track of your team with the right cloud-based solution for your business? Get in touch today.