All SAWFL clubs must adhere to the standards issued by the Department for Families and Communities when conducting criminal history assessments. Some key information extracted from these standards has been included below relating to conducting criminal history assessments or obtaining a National Police Certificate:
Screening Requirements
i. A criminal history assessment is a decision about whether a person is suitable to work with children based on the person’s criminal history (if any) and the assessed risk to children who access services from the organisation.
ii. Your Club may conduct a criminal history assessment themselves or apply to a third party (such as the State Body or Screening Unit) for an assessment and letter of clearance.
iii. Your Club must undertake to follow the standards issued by the Department for Families and Communities when conducting criminal history assessments. These Standards are outlined below.
Identifying Affected Positions
Clubs will conduct an assessment of the criminal history of every person who is, or will be, engaged to work with children in this organisation, and its affiliated associations.
As a first step, the Club should identify all individuals and positions within the organisation that involve working with children.
These positions include:
- i. Committee Members,
- ii. All Coaches,
- iii. Assistant Coaches,
- iv. Team Managers,
- v. Trainers, and
- vi. Any other Match Day Official who fit one or more of the criteria as outlined.
Procedures
Clubs must adhere the following policy and supporting procedures for obtaining criminal history reports.
Obtaining a National Police Certificate (NPC)
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Volunteers to obtain application form from the SA Police website – http://www.police.sa.gov.au/sapol/services/information_requests/national_police_certificate.jsp
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The application must be completed online and then printed. This form cannot be saved.
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Volunteers to go to a local police station or Justice of the Peace (JOP) with their NPC application form, photocopy of documents adding up to 100 points and the original documents to have their identity verified.
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Once identify has been verified by the police or JOP, the volunteer is to lodge the NPC application and their verified photocopied 100 point documentation with the South Australian Amateur Football League’s Authorised Officer through their member club's Delegate/Secretary who will include the VOAN details on the application.
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The South Australian Amateur Football League’s Authorised Officer sends the application to The Records Release Unit, SA Police.
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The NPC will be returned to the volunteer. Due to privacy laws the NPC can only be returned to the applicant, and no third parties.
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Volunteer to produce their NPC to their member club's Child Safety Officer, who will conduct the criminal history assessment, return the NPC to the volunteer and forward the NPC number and expiry date to the South Australian Amateur Football League’s Authorised Officer (johnk@saafl.asn.au), who may keep a record of the volunteer's details.
For further details, please refer to your Club's Member Protection Policy or view the standards issued for Child Safe Environments by the Department for Education and Child Development here.
Last Modified on 05/08/2014 17:14
