National Police Checking Service Informed Consent Form

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For almost any application you make in Australia, you will likely need a police check as a requirement. The police check is now a standard means to assess a candidate.

The police check is useful for;

• ✔ Paid Employment,
• ✔ Licensing checks,
• ✔ Driver accreditation,
• ✔ Probity Checks,
• ✔ And other applications.

The “standardisation” and popularity of the police check among corporate Australia has enabled the National Police Checking Service to improve the application process for a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check. An example of such improvements is the informed consent form that is required to be completed prior to checks being submitted.

What is in an Informed Consent Form for the police check application?

All candidates must fill the Informed Consent form to apply for the nationally coordinated criminal history check. The Form consists of all the necessary information needed to begin a check of the applicant against the information on the Australian Criminal Database.

The informed consent form is a stipulated agreement between the parties that grants the NPCS permission to handle the applicant's details. Filling the informed consent form is the first step to applying for a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check in Australia.

What will I find in an Informed consent form?

The informed consent form will request you to provide information that will help conduct an appropriate police check for the role you are seeking.

The requests by Sections on an informed consent form includes;

The Purpose of the check

The purpose of the police check depends on who/which organisation requests the check. Generally, the purpose of the police check includes;

• ✔ For Employment purposes (Employee)

If you seek a paid role or apply for a paid position in Australia, your employer will likely request a nationally coordinated criminal history check certificate. Employees or candidates applying for the police check must select the option of "Employment check" on the Informed Consent form.

• ✔ For Licensing Purposes

Licensing checks may be required from persons who need to obtain a particular license to take part in a regulated activity. The Informed consent form also includes the option “Licensing”.

• ✔ For Probity Purposes

Probity checks may be required from persons who need to represent themselves as a fit and proper person. The Informed consent form also includes the option “Probity".

• ✔ For Individual purposes (individuals)

A person can request a police check just for their knowledge or for general purposes. It does not have to be for specific purposes, and such a Check still releases all the disclosable court outcomes of the person.

New or Renewal police check

The applicant will also provide information if this is the first application for a renewal or update on a previous police check.

Section 1: Contact details and Purpose of the police check

Section 1 of the Form asks the applicant to specify the role, position, specific services they need the check for.

Section 2: Personal information

The Informed Consent Form also requests information about the personal details of the applicant. The personal data requires the applicant to provide information such as;

Name, including all maiden names, Aliases, Middle names, previous names, and so on. The individual must also fill in other personal details like their Sex/Gender and date of Birth.

The informed consent also provides a field for the applicant to accurately describe addresses and their location history. The divisions include the suburbs towns, Postcode, Territory, Street No, and so on.

The applicant will complete this section on the online application form when they fill in their contact information by including their,

• Mobile Phone Number.
• Email Address.

Section 3: Proof of Identity and Biometric Link (with Liveness)

This section on the Informed Consent Form requests the applicant will submit the required ID Documents for the criminal history check. The IDs that you submit must corroborate any name or information that you have given.

• If you have one or more identification that has a different name, or
• An ID Document in a "changed" Name from the one you submit,

You may have to provide other additional IDs to match the legal name on the application form.

If the name difference was from marriage, the applicant must present a marriage certificate issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages. Other change of name certificates issued by the Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages can be accepted.

Church or celebrant issued marriage certificates are not an official identification document and will not be accepted.

Applicants are also required to provide a biometric link that will establish linkage and liveness between the applicant and their application form. ANCC’s online application forms guide the applicant to complete this step via a selfie and hand-written numbers.

Section 4: Informed consent form

After providing the required ID Documents, the following section requests your signature and informed consent that you submitted the accurate details and required documents and agree to the police checking information disclosure and procedure.

This section of the Informed Consent Form contains the details of the accredited service provider that forwards your Check to the central government agency for a result.

How to apply for The police check in Australia

Applying online via ANCC

The procedure for applying for a police check in Australia has become simple and less complex compared to previous years. Now, applicants can apply online through the Australian National Character Check (ANCC) portal.

There are benefits to applying for a police check online, including that all the processes can be completed online. The applicant can quickly complete the NPC informed consent form online through a PC, Tablet, or mobile device.

Applying through a local police force

Candidates can begin their police check application at their local Police force website. However, this process may be in-person and may require a paper-based application.

Applicants should allow 10 to 15 business days to get a result.

Applying through the Post Office

The Post office serves as an intermediary between the applicant and the National Police Checking Service. Applicants can forward their completed NPC informed consent form to the Post Office and receive their certificate on completion through the Post office.

What ID documents do I need to apply for a police check in Australia?

The application process for a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check requires 4 IDs from these three categories;

• ✔ One (1) Commencement of ID document

These are categories for the essential Identity documents for most applications in Australia. Commencement IDs include. But are not exempted to the following;

• Australian birth certificate issued by the Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages (Australian Government Unit) - not an extract or birth card
• Australian Citizenship Certificate
• Australian visa (supported by a foreign passport) current at the time of entry into Australia as a resident or tourist
• Australian passport (not expired; however, if the Document Verification System (DVS) is used to verify the passport, it may be up to 3 years expired)
• ImmiCard issued by the Department of Home Affairs

• ✔ One (1) Primary Use in Community Documents

Examples of Primary Use in community documents include;

• Australian passport (not expired; however, if the Document Verification System (DVS) is used to verify the passport, it may be up to 3 years expired)
• An Australian driver licence, learner permit or provisional licence issued by a State or Territory, showing signature and/or photo
• ImmiCard issued by the Department of Home Affairs to assist visa holders to provide evidence of their Commencement of Identity in Australia
• A passport issued by a country other than Australia with a valid visa or valid entry stamp or equivalent
• Proof of age or photo identity card issued by an Australian government agency which shows the name, date of birth, photo and signature of the individual
• For persons aged under 18 years with no other Primary Use in Community Documents, a student identity document issued by an Australian government agency or Australian school only.

• ✔ Two (2) Secondary Use in Community Documents

The applicant must provide any two of the following documents to satisfy the requirement for a police check;

• Medicare card
• Enrolment with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)
• Working with children or vulnerable people card issued by an Australian state or territory government unit;
• Tax File Number issued by the Australian Taxation Office
• Bank card, credit card (without recording the payment card number/s)
• Australian secondary or tertiary student photo identity document
• Certified academic transcript from an Australian university
• Foreign government issued driver licence. Documents in languages other than English must be accompanied by a NAATI accredited translation
• Firearms licence
• Security Guard/Crowd Control photo licence
• Evidence of right to a government benefit (DVA or Centrelink)
• Police Force Officer photo identity card
• Australian Defence Force photo identity card
• Aviation security identification card
• Maritime security identification card
• Credit reference check
• Trusted referees report

What are the requirements for submitting an ID Document?

1. Any of the IDs that the applicant provides must verify the personal information the applicant submits.
2. The ID document should verify their full name. If different, an extra certificate from the registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages should provide proof for the "name change."
3. At least one of the ID documents the applicant provides must contain a photograph image of the person.

How can I obtain a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check?

Individuals

If you are an individual, you can obtain a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check certificate online via Australian National Character Check’s police check application form. The results are dispatched via email.

Business and Enterprise Customers

Business and Enterprise customers are able to sign up to ANCC’s business portal where they can order, manage, track and view candidates’ criminal history check results on their business portal. Organisations will undergo a process for approval prior to being granted access to ANCC’s business portal.

ANCC sends an invite to the applicant to complete their Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check online and handles the application and informed consent form. Contact ANCC’s business and enterprise partnerships team today to enquire about setting up a business portal for your organisation.

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