Checks on adults working with children and young people in residential care are being strengthened through a significant investment from the NSW Government.
The creation of a Residential Care Workers Register is in response to a recommendation by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Minister for Families and Communities Natasha Maclaren-Jones said the Register is an additional protection to help ensure unsuitable residential care workers can’t move between service providers undetected.
“The Register will help keep our most vulnerable children and young people safer,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.
“While most workers in this area do the right thing and have the children’s best interests at heart, this new Register will prevent workers who pose a risk to young people in residential care from moving between agencies.
“It will require out-of-home care providers to hold relevant information about people working as residential care workers, which can be shared between agencies.
“This equips agencies to make sure people who are unsuitable to care for children can’t change agencies in order to avoid any transgressions or misconduct.”
The new requirements will apply to residential care workers currently working, or applying for jobs in the out-of-home care sector.
The sector has come together in support of this important initiative.
This new safety measure builds on existing screening tools such as the Working with Children Check and ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Criminal Record Check.
