Children's workers#

Your school is responsible for doing a safety check on children's workers. This includes a risk assessment for registered teachers who have been Police vetted as part of their Teaching Council certification.

This is required under the Children’s Act 2014 and the Children’s (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015.

Children’s Act 2014 – New Zealand Legislation

Children’s (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015 – New Zealand Legislation

Contractors#

Contractors who are engaged by schools as children’s workers must undergo a full safety check as required by the Children’s Act.

If children’s workers in your school are contracted by other organisations, your school is responsible for confirming they have undergone a safety check.

Volunteers#

As with all child protection matters, we have a commitment to keep children safe, and this must always come first. You should carefully consider whether volunteers at school, or those participating in school activities, should be Police vetted. You should strongly consider Police vetting volunteers who have regular, overnight, or 1-on-1 contact with children.

Volunteers who will have contact with children may include:

• educators
• parent helpers
• club leaders
• sports coaches. 

Volunteers do not need to be Police vetted by law, but child safety should always be paramount. If you are not sure whether vetting is needed, it is better to be safe and do a Police vet.

Your school policies and procedures should clearly indicate requirements about Police vetting volunteers while acknowledging that volunteers do not need to be Police vetted by law.

School property contractors#

Contractors who are not children's workers but are likely to have unsupervised access to students at the school during normal school hours must undergo a Police vet and risk assessment. That includes contractors who work on construction projects managed by your school or by us during school hours.

This is a requirement under the Education and Training Act.

Contractors who will not have unsupervised access to students at the school during normal school hours do not need a Police vet.

The board is responsible for completing a school access plan with contractors. This will help clarify who needs a Police vet.

Tertiary education providers#

Schools can also rely on confirmation from tertiary education organisations when hosting their students.

Schools must make sure students are safe on work placements.

Overseas workers#

The Teaching Council has guidance about police clearances for workers who come from other countries.

Overseas police clearance – Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand

Core worker exemptions#

Under the Children's Act 2014, it is unlawful to employ a core children’s worker with a specified offence, as detailed in schedule 2 of the Act, unless they hold a core worker exemption.

Te Kāhui Kāhu has information about how to apply for an exemption.

Children’s Act 2014: Workplace restriction – New Zealand Legislation

Children’s Act 2014: Specified offences – New Zealand Legislation

Core worker exemptions – Te Kāhui Kāhu