A summary of the WWC legislation and how it impacts employers, volunteer organisations and the self-employed.

Criminal record checks are only one of the measures that responsible employers put in place to ensure their employees and volunteers are suitable to work with children. Other necessary procedures include:

• rigorous recruitment and selection practices, including thorough referee checks;
• good supervision and training;
• policies that create a safe and supportive environment for children; and
• a work culture which ensures that children's concerns are heard.

It is recognised that many employers have set in place good risk management policies that include child-safe policies and codes of conduct. While there will be requirements for internal systems to manage the relevant Working with Children Check records, this legislation will strengthen human resources management and support employers to build child-safe organisations.

Some benefits of the Working with Children Check for employers include transferring responsibility for the assessment of criminal records to a specialist agency, and introducing a system for updating an existing criminal record check if there are relevant changes in an employee or volunteer's criminal record.

Employers, employees, self-employed people and volunteers in child-related work have a number of obligations under the new legislation, with penalties for non-compliance.
The focus of the Government is, however, on introducing the scheme in a way which supports employers, employees, self-employed people and volunteers to understand their responsibilities under the Act. It recognises that the majority of people appreciate the importance of criminal records checks and want to ensure that children are safe.