Australian states and territories have agreed to strengthen criteria for working with children checks following allegations of child abuse involving a Victorian childcare worker. The move aims to prevent individuals banned in one jurisdiction from working in another.

Council of the City of Sydney

Australian states and territories have reached an agreement to implement stronger criteria for working with children checks, following recent allegations of child abuse involving a Victorian childcare worker. Under the new arrangement, anyone banned from holding a working with children check in one jurisdiction will be banned in all, with real-time sharing of criminal histories among states and territories. 

While the reforms fall short of establishing a single national standard, authorities believe improved communication between state schemes will help prevent individuals with revoked clearances from working elsewhere. The federal government has also taken steps to penalise childcare providers not meeting national standards, and Victoria is set to release findings from a rapid review into childcare services.

States tighten childcare worker checks after abuse allegations

A commitment to do something, six weeks after allegations of child abuse were made against a Victorian childcare worker. If you're banned from holding a working with children check in one jurisdiction, you're banned in all of them. Banned in one, banned in all. All states and territories agreeing to set stronger criteria for a working with children check and do what it takes to stop someone who has their clearance revoked working in other jurisdictions, but stopping short of a national standard. We're looking at a way in which we can get the most efficient outcome and that is by individual state schemes talking to one another. The nation's attorneys general also agreeing to real time sharing of the criminal history of childcare workers. Today's commitments were recommended 10 years ago by a royal commission. These are complex areas, but that is no excuse for saying this is too hard, as let's be frank has occurred until now. I would have liked to have seen it go a lot further though, they should just be able to check in one place. Is this person okay to employ to work with children? The reform comes with a caveat. This is not going to solve, let's be very clear, every single nefarious actor who is out there. People will slip through the cracks, that's how the offenders, the alleged offenders that we know are operating in our system have gotten through. The federal government has also moved to penalise childcare providers who don't meet national standards. 30 services that haven't been up to scratch for 7 years, told they must improve. In Victoria, the state government is expected to receive the final report from a rapid review into childcare today. It says it will adopt all recommendations and release the findings publicly, but not until next week at the earliest. We want to move as quickly as we can to strengthen the arrangements in place. Rory Campbell, 10 News.

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