Nursing home employment police check

A nursing home, also known as a residential aged care facility, is a place where older adults or people with disabilities can receive accommodation and care permanently. The federal government regulates these facilities, while the government and residents fund these facilities. They provide various services, including housing, meals, personal care, nursing care, and access to allied health services.

Nursing homes in Australia are staffed by qualified nurses, care staff and support staff to provide residents with the care and assistance they need daily. In Australia, nursing home employment opportunities typically include registered nurses, care staff, and support staff. These positions may be full-time or part-time, requiring specific qualifications and certifications.

Police checks in aged care are one of the fundamental requirements of nursing home employees in Australia.

A police check, also known as a nationally coordinated criminal history check (NCCHC) or background check, is a process by which an individual's disclosable criminal history is released on an official document.

The purpose of a police check is to provide information about an individual's disclosable criminal record, if any, to decision makers who require it to assess an applicant's eligibility for a certain position.

Depending on the purpose of the police check, the information may be limited to certain types of offences, such as serious violent or sexual offences, or may include all kinds of disclosable criminal records.

Police checks are typically required for nursing home employees to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents, as well as for regulatory requirements.

Nursing homes provide care and accommodation for vulnerable individuals, including older adults and people with disabilities. As such, it is essential to ensure that the staff who work in these facilities have not been convicted of disqualifying offences that may pose a risk to the residents.

A police check can help to identify any past criminal convictions, pending charges or history of violence that could indicate that an individual may not be suitable for working in a nursing home.

This can help protect residents from potential abuse or neglect and protect the nursing home from liability if a staff member with a criminal history harms a resident.

Additionally, a police check is also a requirement for many organisations and regulatory bodies that oversee the operations of nursing homes and care facilities.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) works with several police agencies and accredited bodies to make the service widely available.

Here are the steps for obtaining a police check:

You can apply for a police check via an ACIC-accredited body or a police agency. Most applications are online and involve filling out an application form with your details and the purpose of the police check. You'll also have to upload four identification documents. They are:

• ✔ One commencement of ID document
• ✔ One primary use in the community document
• ✔ Two secondary use in the community documents
• ✔ A biometric link to establish linkage with the applicant’s claimed identity

Finally, you must pay the application fee. Accredited bodies set different rates. For instance, Australian National Character Check (ANCC) charges a base fee of $52.90 + GST per police check.

After applying, the police agency or accredited body first confirms your identity. They then send your application details to the National Police Checking Service Support System (NSS).

The system runs a name-matching algorithm to find a potential match based on the applicant's details. If it doesn't find one, the system instantly returns a 'no disclosable court outcome (NDCO)' to the body requesting the check.

However, if the system encounters a potential match, it sends the record to the relevant police agency for manual processing. Here, the police agencies confirm that the criminal record accurately belongs to the applicant. After that, the police agency applies the spent conviction legislation or information release policies to determine which offences are releasable.

Once the police agency or accredited body receives the police check result, they notify the applicant so they can get their result.

70% of checks are released within 24 hours. Approximately 30% may have a potential match and will be referred to one or more police agencies. These checks can take longer than 10 business days due to the manual nature of the process.

The validity of a police check can vary based on the purpose of the police check. Some organisations may require a new police check every year or every few years, while others may accept a police check that is three months old.

ANCC is a leading and trusted police check provider in Australia. We provide efficient background check services for nursing home or aged care employment in Australia. You can get a police check through our individual or business portal:

Are you seeking employment in a nursing home or aged care facility in Australia? You can order a police check with ANCC today, track your application in real time and get the result by email.

Hiring managers in nursing homes or aged care facilities can order bulk police checks for multiple applicants. The innovative business platform makes it easy to order numerous police checks, manage applications, track applications in real-time and receive results. ANCC’s business portal for police checks enables you to create compliant and efficient hiring decisions. Please note that all businesses are subject to a process of approval prior to being granted access to the ANCC Business Portal.