Amendments to the Working with Children Check Act 2005 (the Act) will come into effect on 1 August 2017

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse made several recommendations aimed at strengthening the protection children receive through Working with Children Checks. The following amendments to the Act implement these recommendations:

1. Expand the definition of ‘direct contact’ in the Act. The definition of direct contact now includes oral, written or electronic communication as well as face-to-face and physical contact.
2. Remove references to ‘supervision’ from the Act. This means that even if a person’s contact with children as part of their child-related work is supervised by another person, they will still need to apply for a Working with Children Check (Check).
3. Create a new occupational category of ‘child-related work’, known as ‘kinship care’. Family members or other persons of significance caring for a child placed by Child Protection under the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 are required to obtain a Check.
4. Ensure that non-conviction charges (charges that have been finally dealt with other than by a conviction or finding of guilt) for serious sexual, violent or drug offences are considered as part of Check assessments and re-assessments.
5. Enable the Secretary to the Department of Justice and Regulation to compel the production of certain information for the purposes of compliance monitoring.

In addition, various other miscellaneous and technical amendments have been made to improve the Act’s operation and administration.

Detailed information on the changes is provided below.

Source: Changes to legislation – Working With Children Check, Victoria

Another example of how co-opertition and collaboration can work.

Not-for-profits (NFPs) have an opportunity to secure new partnerships, access innovation and possibly win new funding streams if they take advantage of the move by more Australian companies to adopt ‘shared value’.

The nascent corporate strategy aims to advance social good while enhancing business value, says AICD NFP Sector Leader Phil Butler. “It genuinely aims for a win-win.”

Shared value is several steps closer to the heart of the company’s strategy than corporate social responsibility (CSR) and philanthropy.

New corporate strategy is an opportunity for NFPs

Source: New corporate strategy is an opportunity for NFPs – Australian Institute of Company Directors

 

Tracky Dack Day

Hospitalised children are often encouraged to change into their trackies. This lifts their mood by giving a sense of normalcy. In solidarity, workplaces, schools and individuals across Australia will ‘dack up’ on any day in May to raise funds for sick kids. It’s that simple! DACK UP AND DONATE

Source: Home – Tracky Dack Day

 

#trackydackday  #tlcforkids  #sickkids  #charity  #donate