WICEN Vic: Working with Children Checks

[John and Bronwyn Morrissey]

Hi Col

 

Yes, I was aware of the changes. 

 

The reason for the change was that there was a loophole - formerly,
organisations dealing with children on a routine, repetitive basis only
employed a supervisor with WWC, then others without WWC worked under the
supervision of that person.  What the Govt discovered was that this still
gave the opportunity for repeated contact with individual children and that
some people had used this for grooming.  Hence - the loophole was closed. 

 

What is not so clear is:  what is the new threshold where WWC becomes
mandatory, in the context of WICEN activity? 

 

For example when you go through the WWC list of occupations requiring WWC
(here:
http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/home/about+the+check/who+needs+a+c
heck/occupational+fields/occupational+fields ) there is the example :
"Commercial photography services for children unless they are merely
incidental to or in support of other business activities."   There are
other, similar examples where the contact is merely incidental to other
activities. 

 

The website "who needs a check"   (here
http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/home/about+the+check/who+needs+a+c
heck/ ) provides 6 criteria all of which must be met to require WWC, one of
which is  "5. Your contact with children is part of your duties i.e. not
incidental to your work".  Whether WICEN activities require contact with
children as part of their duties or it is merely incidental to the WICEN
activity could be a matter of debate. 

 

For us, this does seem to be a grey area and it's not an area I would like
to test in court! 

 

For clubs, societies, WICEN, etc it is always an option to require all
members to have WWC to undertake certain activities, over and above the
legal requirements.  As an example the Scouts have always had more stringent
requirements for WWC than the law required. 

 

My view is that WICEN should encourage all members to have WWC, and my
understanding is that WICEN (as an incorporated volunteer organisation)
should be able to sponsor those wishing to gain WWC.

 

Personally, I have had WWC for many years and recommend all WICEN members
obtaining one too.    

 

 

Cheers,   John

 

 

  _____  

From: Colin Pomroy [mailto:colinpomroy at bigpond.com] 
Sent: Sunday, 16 July 2017 1:19 PM
To: 'John and Bronwyn Morrissey'; Maurie Stanford; Chris Morley; 'WICEN
Victoria'
Subject: Working with Children Checks

 

I have looked at the changes to the WWCC legislation after another
organisation I am involved with has decided that everyone needs to have the
check.

This is because at functions you may be in contact with children of not only
the public but also of other members.

 

Note that the exemption, if there is supervision of someone with the checks,
has been removed.

 

I see that this may be a problem if WICEN was deployed to a relief centre of
similar or even at Training exercises like we have just done with the Mallee
Rally.

 

I feel this should be discussed at Committee level and a policy decided.

 

The checks are free for volunteers and can be started online and then
confirmed at a post office.

Renewals are online.

 

Details of the new legislation are available at:

 

www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/home/about+the+check/purpose/changes+to+l
egislation

 

Colin Pomroy

0417 305 702

 

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