The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) is working collaboratively with Commonwealth, state and territory stakeholders, including screening units and police agencies, to scope, design and trial a National Continuous Checking Capability (NCCC).
State and territory screening units are the agencies and organisations responsible for assessing people who have sought to hold an entitlement, or position of trust, such as a Working With Children Checks. Other stakeholders include Australian Government agencies who have a vested interest in ensuring the safety and security of vulnerable Australians, such as the National Office for Child Safety.
Currently, persons seeking to hold an entitlement, or position of trust, are subject to a point-in-time check of their criminal history through a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check, often referred to as a police check, which is conducted through the ACIC’s National Police Checking Service (NPCS).
The NCCC seeks to provide an additional layer to the process by providing an ongoing, continuous, near real-time monitoring of national changes to an entitlement holder’s criminal history information. This means that if an entitlement holder is charged with a relevant offence in any state or territory, this information will be passed to the relevant screening unit for their assessment. The screening unit will then determine whether the offence may impact the person’s ability to retain their entitlement.
The ACIC works with Australian police agencies to deliver the NPCS, which helps to protect the safety of the community by minimising the risk of appointing someone unsuitable or with an adverse police record to a position of trust.
Information sharing in relation to worker screening is the responsibility of the state and territory screening units. While each state and territory has implemented their own versions of continuous checking within that jurisdiction, there is no model for continuous checking at a national level.
The NCCC will improve upon the current state-based continuous checking models by providing screening units with access to relevant criminal information nationally. This capability will contribute to the improved safety of Australia’s most vulnerable people. As part of the ongoing development of the NCCC, the ACIC is collaborating with stakeholders to evaluate potential barriers and seek solutions.
The full solution will see all Working with Children and National Disability Insurance Scheme screening units receiving continuous checking of clearance holders and applicants against ACIC data holdings of national criminal history information.
Timeframes for the rollout of the NCCC will be determined once the approach and design for this important work has been agreed to by all stakeholders.
Jeremy Johnson
Executive Director Business and Partnerships
Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission