Screening of people working with children and young people: Issues paper

Over the past 10 years there has been a developing awareness of the need for organisations to look further at how best to ensure the wellbeing of children and young people with whom they work. The ACT Children Services Council has requested a review of international and national literature on issues surrounding the screening of people working with children and young people. This paper reviews the issues related to employment screening, presenting information about alternative models, legislative schemes and frameworks, and a range of practice issues involved in this strategy. It presents a brief survey of the legislative approaches being adopted by each of the Australian States and Territories. It also discusses the limitations to screening and briefly reviews alternative strategies for safeguarding children and young people.