UCA Welcomes the Attorney-General’s Announcement to Strengthen the Working With Children Check System
The Uniting Church Synod of NSW and ACT welcomes the Attorney-General’s announcement to strengthen the Working With Children Check system and wholeheartedly supports the principle of “banned in one state, banned in all.”
This month marks a decade since the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse called for a national approach to WWCC saying: “a national approach to WWCCs is overdue”, calling on the state and federal governments to amend their laws within twelve months. Nevertheless, ten years later, the system remains as problematic as ever.
Across Australia, the WWCC system is disjointed and confusing. In ACT checks are required for working with vulnerable people, in South Australia checks are required for 14 year olds, in Queensland checks are only required for under 18-year-olds if they are being paid. The definition of what it means to work with children, and the various exemptions from holding a check are similarly confusing. Some jurisdictions provide continual monitoring and will proactively notify an organisation if a worker is barred. Other jurisdictions rely on the organisation repeatedly checking on the status of every worker.
For organisations that operate across jurisdictions and organisations with limited resources, this is particularly difficult.
The federal AG, Michelle Rowland has called for a national system of sharing criminal records relating to WWCC. Rowland has called this the “most immediate and urgent” priority for Friday’s meeting of attorneys-general. But the AG only intends to address sharing of criminal records, not the overall approach to WWCC.
The Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of NSW and ACT has made the following statement:
The Uniting Church Synod of NSW and ACT welcomes the Attorney-General’s announcement to strengthen the Working With Children Check system and wholeheartedly supports the principle of “banned in one state, banned in all.”
We celebrate this step and encourage the federal and state governments to go further in creating a coordinated and consistent approach. The current inconsistencies in definitions and application leave churches and other organisations facing complicated explanations for staff and volunteers. We encourage all state and territory governments to agree on clear, consistent triggers for temporary and permanent bans.
It has been ten years since the Royal Commission recommended a national system, and we urge the federal government to help states come together to achieve this vital protection for children. We also note that temporary bans during investigations remain an area of uncertainty and need consistent application.
The WWCC is just one part of safeguarding. Across the Uniting Church we are committed to building a culture of safety, ensuring staff and volunteers are both suitable and supported. We call on government to provide more reliable support in this area, so that all children can grow up in safe, nurturing communities.