The federal government has allocated $37 million for childcare reforms designed to prevent offenders from evading detection due to discrepancies in police checks across different states.
The initiative, known as “banned in one, banned in all,” will implement a system for nationwide, continuous monitoring of Working with Children Check (WWCC) holders, set to commence by the year’s end.
Although this reform was advised by the child sexual abuse royal commission in 2015, recent high-profile allegations of abuse within childcare centers have accelerated its importance and implementation.
Jeremy Johnson, the executive director of business and partnerships at ACIC, explained in March that currently, individuals seeking roles of trust undergo a one-time criminal history check via a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check, commonly known as a police check, conducted through ACIC’s National Police Checking Service (NPCS).
The new National Continuous Criminal Check (NCCC) aims to enhance this process by providing ongoing, near real-time updates on any changes to an individual’s criminal history nationwide.
This system ensures that if an individual is charged with a relevant offense anywhere in the country, the pertinent screening unit receives this information for evaluation.
