Why are National Police Checks renewals required?
Scouts Australia Policy & Rules 5.3.6 and the National
Child Protection Policy require regular police check
renewals to be undertaken for all adult members. Police
Checks are used to ensure that our members meet the
character expectations of the community when appointing
adult members of Scouting.
What’s the difference between a National Police Check
and the Working With Children Card (WWCC)?
A National Police Check is not an assessment by a
government agency. It is a list, at a given point in time, of
offences recorded against an individual, called Disclosable
Court Outcomes. This list can help assess a person’s
suitability for their role in Scouting.
Working with Children Cards are granted by the
Department of Justice & Regulation, after their assessment
of an individual’s suitability for working/volunteering with
children. The WWCC assessment only considers ‘relevant
offences’ as listed in the Working with Children Act, such
as serious sexual, violent and drug offences.
Why can’t we do this with the Working With Children
Card (WWCC)?
We’d love this too. Unfortunately, the WWCC is run by
the Victorian Department of Justice & Regulation and
the National Police Check is done through the Australian
Criminal Intelligence Commission. They check for different
things, although there is crossover. Additionally, the
renewal dates for WWCC and National Police Checks do
not usually align.
I have a current National Police Check with another
organization. Can you accept that?
That means the other organisation has accepted you for
that particular volunteer or employed role. They are a
different organization, with different policies and practices
on what is acceptable for their organisation. We need to
apply our own review process.
Every Check is done for the specific purpose identified
in the request. Any police history information released is
based on the purpose and category of the check for which
it is lodged. No organization should accept a National
Police Check that has been done for another organization.
This is covered under our Privacy Policy, but in short, the
documentation you provide is treated exactly the same
as all of your other personal information that we store. It
is password protected or in locked & secure storage. All
copies are kept for twelve months and then destroyed, as
required by CrimCheck.
What identity documents are required?
A list of suitable identification is available on our website
here.
Don’t my identity documents have to be certified?
No. There are some circumstances where certification is
required, but you will be advised if this is the case.
I don’t have enough identity documents
The first thing to do is go through the list once more,
item by item. If you don’t have, or cannot obtain,
enough documents from each category, please
contact Membership Support on 8543 9800 or
membershipsupport@scoutsvictoria.com.au
Please note that if you can reasonably purchase particular
identity documents such as a Birth Certificate, then you
will need to arrange this. We cannot provide exemptions
in such scenarios.
Yes.
However, if you have to provide it to show the link
between your previous and current name, it does not also
count as one of the four documents. This is because each
document may only be used for one purpose.
This also applies to any other document showing a
change of name such as a deed poll or similar.
How do I know you are writing to me or the other
person I share the email with?
These National Police Checks are processed in bulk and
you will notice that the emails are generic, not addressed
to any individual. Neither ourselves nor CrimCheck will
know if an email address is for an individual, or shared
by two or more people. If you are unsure, please contact
our Membership Support Team on 8543 9800 or
membershipsupport@scoutsvictoria.com.au
What is included in a National Police Check Report?
A National Police Check Report involves identifying and
releasing any Police history information held about an
individual, from all Australian States and Territories, based
on the purpose of thecheck.
The results will indicate either:
- No Disclosable Court Outcomes (NDCO) - to indicate
that there is no Police History Information that is held
or that can be released
- Disclosable Court Outcomes (DCO) - to indicate that
Police History Information exists that can be released
May I have a copy of my National Police Check?
Yes. However, as noted above, every Check is done for a
specific purpose for a specific organization. If you want
a copy to use elsewhere or ‘for my records’, it won’t be
useable by any other organization; they will require you to
complete another Check.
Your Check is available for 365 days, so if you do need a
copy of it in the future, please contact us when that time
arrives and we can download a copy for you. Otherwise it
is just another piece of paper to file or misplace.
What is a Disclosable Court Outcome?
The National Police Check Report Information may
include:
- Pending matters awaiting court hearing
- Charges
- Court convictions – including any penalty or sentence
- Findings of guilt with no conviction
- Good behaviour bonds or other court orders
The Police history information which is disclosed in the results is determined by each Police Agency, based on Spent Conviction Legislation and Information Release Policies. The purpose of the National Police Check and any other relevant legislation also determines what information can be released
What happens if I have a Disclosable Court Outcome
on my check?
Scouts Victoria applies a consistent process for all
National Police Checks which contain disclosable
outcomes and acts in accordance with the National Child
Protection Policy. Should your National Police Check
contain a disclosable outcome you will receive further
communication which may require an interview with your
next level Commissioner.