The second deadline for the Children’s Act legislation is fast approaching. If you’re a state-funded organisation or individual funded contractor, that provides regulated health services, you are required to ensure your non-core workers or you (as a contractor) is safety checked by the July 2019 deadline.
Key things you need to know
All non-core children’s workers in state-funded organisations, that provide regulated health services must be safety checked by 1 July 2019.
As the employing organisation it’s your responsibility to ensure all your non-core children’s workers are safety checked.
Who are core and non-core children’s workers?
Core Worker – are child workers employed by the state sector or government-funded organisation to provide regulated services. In the course of that work, the person is either:
i. The only person present; or
ii. Is the children’s worker who has primary responsibility for, or authority over the child or children present.
Eg, doctors, teachers, nurses, pediatricians, youth counselors, and social workers
Non-Core Worker – is a children’s worker who has regular, but limited, child contact and any child worker who is not a core worker.
Eg, non-teaching school workers, general hospital workers, and many social and health workers
When do you need to have it completed by?
New employees
All new non-core children’s workers must be safety checked before starting employment or engagement as a children’s worker
Existing employees
1 July 2019 – all existing non-core children’s workers must have been safety checked by this date
Recap on government changes
As you may be aware in a cross-sector action plan to address child vulnerability in New Zealand, on 11 October 2012 the then Minister for Social Development, Hon Paula Bennett, announced a major cross-government project – the Children’s Action Plan.
The aim is to develop a safe and competent children’s workforce who can better identify, support, and protect children and vulnerable people in their homes and in the community. The Children’s Action Plan outlines a number of steps to be taken to safeguard children. These include the:
- Development of Children’s Teams
- Introduction of the Children’s Act 2014
- Introduction of child protection policies required under the Act
- Introduction of new obligations for vetting and screening processes, and
- Setting of minimum standards and core competencies for those working with children
The introduction of the Children’s Act impacts all paid new and existing employees and contractors who work with children (up to 17 years of age) in a state-funded organisation that provides regulated health services.
CVCheck (NZ) Ltd has been selected as the exclusive provider of Children’s Workers Safety Checks for specific groups of children’s workers from the New Zealand Ministry of Health, New Zealand Ministry of Education and New Zealand Ministry of Social Development. We have also been Gazetted by the Director-General of Health.
How can you get your employees Children’s Worker Safety Checks completed so you’re compliant?
Login to the CVCheck website, select your employees check type, either accredited or non-accredited and we will do the rest. If you’re not sure which check type your employees need we have this helpful guide.
As the provider of the service, CVCheck (NZ) Ltd are proud to be helping build trust between the community and those carrying out the important work of looking after children.
