Police checks for the Australian Education Sector

Australian National Character Check (ANCC®) provides Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Checks for the purpose of teacher registration and other purposes in the Australian education sector.

Most checks are dispatched to applicants within 24 to 48 hours of completion, with the exception of those that automatically get referred for manual processing.

Checks are dispatched via email with the option to order a hard copy certificate. Applicants can make payment securely via PayPal, credit card or debit card.

Individual applicants can order criminal history checks using the online police check application form.

Universities and other educational institutions can streamline the ordering, tracking and management of police checks via ANCC’s business portal. Registration for the business portal is free of charge and there are no lock-in contracts or hidden fees.

The Australian government shows unwavering support and priority towards the Education sector. All education systems from; child care to the universities and tertiary and advanced levels are supervised via various forms of regulations and Checks.

The requirements/evaluations by the law to become a teacher can either be educational, legal or psychological evaluation.

Educational qualifications test for the applicant’s knowledge, certifications and experience in the chosen field. It depends on the education grade

Some of the educational qualifications are:

Educational requirements

✔ Bachelor’s degree or higher degree; those who teach primary, secondary schools and higher.

✔ Exposed to activities of registered teachers and administrators

Test of English Language Proficiency Test (if applicable)

✔ Where the applicant is a visa holder

✔ The applicant is an overseas applicant (from a non-native English speaking country)

✔ The applicant is from a native speaking country but has not attained the minimum years required.

Skill Requirements

It accounts for most of the psychological evaluation of a Teacher. Some of the evaluations include;

✔ Applicant ability to build a good rapport with students/pupils as a skill

✔ Applicant’s organisation and communication skill

✔ Leadership abilities

✔ Teaching methods and approach

However, for the skill evaluations, there may not be a standard test or tests available. It can be done through physical interviews or pre-teaching.

Teachers Registration

Almost all professions in Australia require a prospective educator/administrator to register with the official body, teachers inclusive. Anyone who aims to teach or has completed the teacher certification must register with their state regulating body

The first stage of registration is as an 'instructor', and then, the individual can be elevated to 'Proficient'.

The registration process will require the individual to produce the results of mainly two checks;

• Australian police check
• Working with Children Check

Before gaining employment/admission to most organisations in Australia, you must provide a valid police check result. A police check certificate contains all releasable convictions of an individual issued by the Australian Police authorities.

An Australian police check will include the conviction details, irrespective of the State or Territory where the offence was committed.

One of the registration procedures to become an instructor in Australia in any State is to submit your Australian police check results.

A police check certificate contains sensitive details about an individual. If you request a police check for Education purposes, here are some convictions that may appear on your police check certificate;

Disclosable Court Outcomes; the individual has a past conviction/charges to his records, and some examples are;

• Convictions/Charges against corporate organisations
• Sexually related offences
• Traffic charges for which an individual is convicted
• Sentences and Convictions
• Pending court charges and offences
• Finding of guilt
• Sexually related convictions
• Convictions stated by the regulations
• Convictions for which a prison sentence of six or more months is imposed

• Findings of non-guilt.
• Diversion programs.
• Punitive measures by third party institutions or other professional bodies/unions.
• Offences outside the jurisdiction of Australian police agencies/courts.

You cannot stress enough the importance of an Australian police check. Especially Checks relevant to the position you apply for.

There are two main ways you can obtain your police check Australia;

If you have applied for a police check, you may think it is a once-for-all type of check. A police check in Australia is a point in time check. The expiry depends on the internal risk strategies of the requesting party. Most requesting parties do not accept checks that are older than three months.

However, the government encourages institutions and agencies to request updated checks at respectable intervals from their employees.

Whether you are applying for an administrative or teaching role in the Educational sector, you must provide a Working with Children Check (WWCC). In essence, any role that involves proximity/services to Children will require the applicant to present a WWCC.