AUSTRALIA
Stawell Times-News
The Andrews Labor Government has introduced new laws to better protect Victorian children by strengthening Working with Children Checks.
The Working with Children Amendment Bill 2016 will make the application process more rigorous, addressing five key recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Under the reforms, any criminal charges laid against an applicant for serious sexual, violent or drug offences will be considered as part of Working With Children Check assessments, regardless of whether they resulted in a conviction or finding of guilt. The WWC Check Unit can now consider non-conviction charges that may have been dismissed on a technicality, or did not proceed because of the impact on the victim, when deciding on whether to grant an application.
Kinship carers – a family member or other person of significance to a child who has been placed in out-of-home care – will now be required to obtain a WWC Check. From May next year, all new kinship carers will be required to obtain a WWC Check within 21 days of becoming a carer. Existing kinship carers will have three months from May 1 to apply, and all applications for new and existing kinship carers will be free of charge.
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