Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check

Who requires screening

Requires screening

Screening is required for:

• all employees of the Department of Education
• public school council or board members
• pre-service teachers and other practicum students
• post-compulsory students
• volunteers and contractors from an organisation we have a service agreement with
• contractors engaged for 15 business days or more per 12 months
• employees of other organisations who do regular or ongoing work in schools (for example, therapists, chaplains, uniform shop and canteen staff)
• residential college Local Input Networking Communications (LINC) committee members
• family and guests who stay with live-in residential college employees for 21 days or more per 12 months.

A principal or site manager has the discretion to request screening for:

• parent volunteers
• members of community groups who use school facilities during school hours, outside of school hours, or only during school holidays.

Does not require screening

Screening is not required for:

• other contractors, third-party providers and temporary staff engaged for less than 15 business days per 12 months
• compulsory students who turn 18 while enrolled
• employees under 18 years of age, however they need one within 3 months after turning 18
• WA Health Service providers providing services to students in schools (employees of WA Country Health Service, Child and Adolescent Health Service, East Metropolitan Health Service, North Metropolitan Health Service, South Metropolitan Health Service, Department of Health) however principals must sight their current staff identification card as evidence of Health screening
• Department of Justice employees providing services to students in schools, however principals must sight their staff identification card as evidence of a Justice screening
• Department of Communities employees providing services to students in schools, however principals must sight their staff identification card as evidence of a Communities screening
• employees of other agencies who have a current NDIS Worker Screening Check. 

For more information on screening requirements, refer to the Criminal History Screening for Department of Education Sites policy and procedures.

How to apply

Apply online for your Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC).

To find information on what identification you need to provide, read the NCCHC Identification requirements information sheet.

Most applications cost $46.00. The exceptions are:

• volunteers and practicum students who are only charged $10.00
• public school council and board members who are not charged.

Note:

Concessional fee applications are not valid for paid employment.

How applications are assessed

After you have submitted your application, we will electronically send your information to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) to request a copy of your criminal history (if any), including spent convictions*, from within Australia. It may take up to 20 business days for us to receive a response from ACIC.

*The Department of Education has a full exception under the Spent Convictions Act 1988 which means we are entitled to receive these details and consider them in determining suitability for a screening clearance.   

We will consider the information received and if you are assessed as suitable we will send you an email and SMS with your Screening Clearance Number (SCN). We may access or request one or more of the following when considering your application:

• Statement of Material Facts from WA Police Force for convictions recorded in Western Australia
• a personal statement from you explaining the circumstances surrounding the convictions
• professional character references who have knowledge of your convictions.

All information gathered is then assessed against the Criminal convictions suitability criteria. A Screening Committee will consider applications where a criminal conviction for a serious offence is identified, and make a decision based on a case-by-case approach, considering individual circumstances.

If your application is referred to the Screening Committee, it may take longer than 20 business days for the outcome to be known. If you are refused clearance by the Screening Committee, you can appeal the decision. We will let you know the appeal process if your clearance is refused.

Length of time a clearance is valid

If you are an employee, in most cases, your screening status remains valid unless you have a break in service. For teaching staff (including casual and relief), a break in service is 12 months or more. For non-teaching staff, a break in service is 6 months or more.

Your screening is valid for 3 years (unless you have a break in service of 6 months or more) if you are:

• an external employee, for example, a canteen, cafeteria or uniform shop manager, chaplain or contractor
• service provider
• member of a community group, for example, Out of School Hours Care or other group on a school site, where the principal or site manager has deemed a criminal history screening is required
• a volunteer.

If you are a volunteer (including a student who has completed a practicum) and you want to commence paid employment with us, you will need to apply for a new Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) at the full cost of $46.

If you are an exam marker, invigilator or a swimming instructor, your screening clearance is valid for 3 years, and you can have a 12-month break in service due to the seasonal nature of your work.

If you are a school council or board member, your clearance is valid for 3 years, and you can have a 6-month break in service.

After a break in service (as described above), you must submit an application for a new Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC). Your screening clearance number must be reissued before you can resume employment or activity on a school or other Department worksite.

For more information, refer to appendices A and B of the Criminal History Screening for Department of Education Sites procedures.

If you are charged or convicted of an offence after being cleared

If you are an employee of the Department and are charged or convicted of an offence, you are required to inform your line manager of the details of the charge or conviction. They may refer the matter to our Standards and Integrity directorate for consideration and action.

If you are a volunteer, or employed by an external agency, including as a contractor, you are required to inform the site manager or your employer, who must inform us in writing at screening@education.wa.edu.au.

How we protect your privacy

We take your privacy seriously and will only collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988. We will manage your information in accordance with our:

• Records Management policy and procedures
• Information security statement
• Privacy statement.

If you have any concerns about how we manage your identity information, follow the procedures in our Privacy statement.