Policies and procedures
Human Resources Unit, September 2006
amended 2 September 2008
There is increasing concern in the community regarding people in positions of trust abusing or misusing that trust to harm those in their care or for whom they are responsible in some way. The sexual, emotional and physical abuse and neglect of children (that is, people under the age of 18), and of vulnerable adults is of particular concern. In response to these concerns many organisations require satisfactory police clearance as a condition of employment.
It is now also common that many organisations require a satisfactory police clearance (via a National Police Certificate) of university students and their supervisors, or university staff undergoing other activities in the organisation, such as research, before the university student or staff member may attend the organisation.
The following procedure applies to UniSA staff who will have direct contact with minors and/or vulnerable adults at education sector sites (Catholic Education, the Association of Independent Schools of South Australia and the Department of Education and Children’s Services schools, pre-schools and child care centres), and at other sites where a police clearance is required such as community groups, welfare office and therapy settings, and clinical/field or practicum settings (e.g. hospitals, community health clinics.) The procedure reflects current requirements and will be amended as changes to these requirements are forthcoming.
All University staff whose position may involve, either generally or in a particular circumstance, working with minors in education sector sites are required to obtain and provide to the education sector reference group a National Police Certificate (NPC) for assessment of suitability to work with minors.
Staff with a current teacher registration do not need an additional police clearance as this forms part of the registration procedure. Police clearances are obtained with each renewal of teacher registration. Staff should present their teacher registration card to their UniSA school administration.
The Division of Health Sciences requires all staff going to an external organisation for student supervision, research or other activity where they will or may be in contact with minors or vulnerable adults to undertake a police clearance. While the Division requires the police clearance only once every three years, some clinical venues may require a more recent police clearance. Information re specific venue requirements is normally available on the SONIA placement system or, if not, please check with the School’s placement administration staff via the School Office.
Staff who are required to have a satisfactory police clearance as a staff member of a healthcare organisation, and who supervise students or provide other services as a staff member of UniSA in that same healthcare organisation, will be required to follow the procedure for having the NPC recorded at UniSA. If an offence was disclosed, evidence of clearance by that organisation must be provided and, should the staff member be required to attend another healthcare organisation, or the School sector, the NPC will need to be re-assessed by those sites as outlined in the procedure.
NOTE: Due to the fact that there is currently no central reference group in the health sector, the process for the education sector and the health sector is different once a staff member obtains the NPC.
For both the education and health sectors: Staff members must:
Obtain a PD267 Application for a National Police Certificate (NPC)
form from the SAPOL website
www.sapolice.sa.gov.au.
Select Site Map
from the navigation pane on the left hand side of web page, scroll
down to National Police Certificate
and click on Application Form.
The form includes a consent for the Police to release information
about you, on the NPC.
Sign and lodge the form in person at a police station. The staff at the police station can assist with completing the form if required.
At time of lodgement, the applicant must provide specific types of identification which are listed on the PD267 form.
Pay a fee (of approximately $50) for the application.
The NPC may be
obtained by nominating one of the following methods on the form:
Mail to postal or residential address of applicant.
Mail to a nominated 3rd party.
Collection in person.
Collection by a nominated 3rd party.
If you are going to an education sector site:
On a
certified copy of the NPC (that is a copy which either a solicitor, Justice
of the Peace or police officer has marked as a true and accurate
representation of the original, which they have sighted), write ‘Staff -
University of South Australia [insert the name of your School e.g. School of
Social Work & Social Policy or School of Health Sciences, and insert the
name and email address of your Head of School]' .This will enable central
Human Resources to notify your Head of School that you have been cleared to
commence supervision, research or other work-related contact with minors at
education sector sites.
Information about sourcing a Justice of the Peace (JP),
who can certify such documents.
Deliver or post
your National Police Certificate (mark the envelope ‘Private and Confidential’).
to:
Department of Education and Children’s Services
Criminal History Screening Unit
Round Drop R11/21
8th Floor
31 Flinders Street, Adelaide
Or
Round Drop R11/21
GPO Box 1152
Adelaide 5001
You will receive advice on the outcome of this assessment within 3-5 weeks
If you are going to the healthcare sector:
If no
offence is listed on your NPC, *bring the original to the Division of Health
Sciences’ Human Resources team in the Division Office, Playford Building
level 6, room P6-61. The HR staff will note on a data base that you have
been cleared and your Head of School will be notified. The
HR staff will not require a copy of your NPC.
*If you cannot personally bring the original to the Human Resources team,
you may send a certified copy of the NPC (that is a copy which either a
solicitor, Justice of the Peace or police officer has marked as a true and
accurate representation of the original, which they have sighted) to:
HR Coordinator, Division of Health Sciences
GPO Box 2471
Adelaide SA 5001
Mark the envelope Private and Confidential. The NPC will be returned to you.
Information about sourcing a Justice of the Peace (JP), who can certify such documents.
If an offence is
listed on your NPC, the assessment of whether you may attend the clinical
placement venue is the responsibility of that venue. Do not
bring or send your NPC to HR staff.
Instead, contact the Division’s HR Coordinator in the HR team of the Division
Office, on 8302 1819, and you will be advised the Authorised Person in the
clinical venue to whom you should send your NPC for assessment. In an envelope
marked “Private and Confidential” send a certified copy of your NPC to the
Authorised Person together with the
Authority to Assess the Outcome of a National Police Certificate form. This
form provides the clinical venue’s Authorised Person with the contact
information necessary for them to advise the outcome of the assessment and the
authority to assess your National Police Certificate.
If you have had the police clearance done as an employee of the organisation
where you will be supervising students or providing other services on behalf of
UniSA, please provide evidence that the organisation has assessed the offence
and cleared you.
Once the outcome of the assessment is received by the Division’s HR Coordinator,
you and your Head of School will be advised of the determination. Please note
that if an offence is disclosed on your NPC, being cleared by one healthcare
venue does not automatically clear you for another and you will be required to
present a certified copy of your NPC and an authority form to each healthcare
venue for assessment.
You will be advised of the outcome of the assessment within three weeks in most cases.
Duration of currency for the NPC: While the Division of Health Sciences requires a police clearance only once in three years, the policy of the placement organisation may vary from this. Your clinical/field placement administrator may have further information (and check the SONIA information for that site, if available).
The information on the National Police Certificate will be assessed by the relevant reference group or clinical placement venue. The University has been assured that all information provided in the National Police Certificate will remain confidential to the relevant assessment body.
The only information provided to the University, either by a reference group or a clinical placement venue’s Authorised Officer, will be the applicant’s name and either the attribute "cleared" or "not cleared". No other details will be disclosed. The information will be provided to the University’s Central HR unit in the case of the education sector and the Division of Health Sciences HR Coordinator in the case of that Division’s staff attending the health sector.
It is important that you retain the original of your NPC for your own records and to enable you to present it when required. The University is only able to keep minimal information about police clearances for a restricted period of time.
Appeals against decisions of the education sector reference group can be made to an appeal panel. Appeal procedures will be made available by the reference group to individuals who have not been cleared to work with minors in education sector sites.
Appeal processes against decisions made by individual healthcare organisations are available in most cases. In the case of a rejection by an organisation, please contact the Division of Health Sciences’ HR Coordinator as soon as possible as appeals may be allowed only within a timeframe following the decision.
Should any staff member feel that they are unreasonably disadvantaged by the requirement to undertake a police clearance, or by any part of the process or outcome, please put your concerns in writing to:
The Director: Human Resources
University of South Australia
GPO Box 2471
Adelaide SA 5001
