Working with children checks
577. Hon Steve Martinto theminister representing the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the minister's response to my recent question without notice 506 in relation to working with children checks.
(1) Does the automatic sending of "Any change to a person's criminal history information" include charges that have yet to be concluded via the court process?
(2) What criminal charges automatically trigger an immediate temporary suspension while the court process takes place?
(3) How many cards were suspended due to individuals facing criminal charges in 2024–25?
(4) What is the target turnaround time for the process in (3), from the individual being charged to the suspension of a WWC card?
(5) In relation to (4), what was the average number of suspensions for 2024–25?
Hon Jackie Jarvis replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. The following response has been provided by the Minister for Child Protection. The Department of Communities has advised the following.
(1) Yes.
(2) Charges related to class 1 offences, which include some serious crimes such as sexual offences against children, murder and other violent crimes, result in the immediate issuance of an interim negative notice. This prevents an individual from engaging in child-related work while an assessment is conducted.
(3) The answer is 56.
(4) The working with children screening unit receives criminal history updates in near real time. These matters are given the highest priority with interim negative notices generally issued the same day as notification.
(5) The requested information is not regularly reported, and it is not able to be gathered without an unreasonable use of departmental resources.
