Cafe employment police checks in Australia

Cafes are a popular type of food service establishment in Australia. They typically employ a range of staff to keep the cafe running smoothly, including baristas, cooks, kitchen hands, waitstaff and managers. These employees play a crucial role in providing customers with a positive dining experience.

Becoming a cafe employee in Australia is straightforward, but the requirements for cafe employment in Australia vary depending on the specific role and the cafe type. However, some general requirements include good communication, basic physical fitness, customer service skills and food handling certification (for some positions).

However, many cafe employees undergo police checks as part of the recruitment process to ensure the safety of the business and clients.

Formally called a nationally coordinated history check (NCCHC), a police check outlines an individual's disclosable criminal history.

Some of the reasons cafe employees undergo police checks include the following:

1) Protection of vulnerable groups: Cafes often serve food to a wide range of customers, including children and the elderly and employers may require a police check to ensure the safety and protection of these vulnerable groups.

2) Compliance with legal requirements: In some cases, cafes may be required by law to conduct police checks on their employees, mainly if they are operating in an industry that involves working with vulnerable people or the aged.

3) Maintaining a positive image: Employers may require police checks to maintain a positive image and reputation for their cafe. By ensuring that their employees have a clean criminal record, employers can demonstrate to customers and the public that they take seriously their responsibility for providing a safe and secure environment.

4) Protecting the cafe's assets: Some cafe jobs, such as cashier or manager, may involve handling large amounts of money or other valuable assets. Employers may require police checks to ensure that employees do not have a financial fraud or theft history.

5) Building trust: Employers may also require police checks to build trust with their employees and customers. By demonstrating their commitment to background checking, employers can show that they take the safety and security of their staff and customers seriously.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) coordinates police checks in Australia by working with accredited bodies and police agencies.

Here are the steps involved in a police checking process:

You can apply for a police check via an accredited body or police agency by filling out an online application form. You'll provide details like your name, address, date of birth and more. After that, you must also upload four identification documents, which include:

• ✔ One commencement of ID document
• ✔ One primary use in community document
• ✔ Two secondary use in community documents
• ✔ A biometric link that links the applicant to the claimed identity.

In regards to the application fee, accredited bodies set different rates.

After applying, the police agency or accredited body looks through your documents to ensure their validity before sending them to the National Police Checking Support System.

It runs a name-matching algorithm on its vast databases to pull out a potential criminal record. The system returns a 'no disclosable court outcome '(NDCO)' if it doesn't find a match. Conversely, the system sends the application details to the appropriate police agency if it finds a potential match. Here, the police agency manually verifies the criminal record to ensure it belongs to the applicant. If that's the case, they apply the spent conviction scheme to determine which records can be released before sending the result to the police check provider.

The police check provider will notify the applicant once the result is available. A police check can be obtained anywhere in Australia, including a police check in QLD or any other state or territory.

About 70% of police check applications are processed in less than 24 hours because the system returns an NDCO. The other 30% return a potential match that needs to be manually reviewed, which can take longer than 10 business days.

Yes, there is a fee for obtaining a police check in Australia. The price varies depending on the provider and the type of check you require. Some employers may cover the cost of the police check as part of the hiring process. Accredited bodies charge different rates. For instance, Australian National Character Check (ANCC) is one of Australia's most cost effective police check providers, charging $52.90 + GST as the base price per check.

It is important to note that a police check is only a snapshot of a person's disclosable criminal history at the time of the check. Employers should not solely rely on a police check when making hiring decisions and should consider other factors, such as the nature of the role and the length of time since the offences were committed.

ANCC provides exceptional background checking services for individuals and businesses in the cafe industry. Our portal makes it easy to order and track police check applications. Check out our portals today:

Are you seeking employment in a cafe and need a police check? Our portal makes it easy for you to track your application in real-time and get your result quickly.

HR managers in cafes can now order bulk police checks for applicants. Our business portal ensures you're right on top of multiple applications in real-time, getting all the information you need to make sound hiring decisions.