CFA have written to the ASU to advise a proposed change to the Working with Children Clearance Policy. A copy of the draft policy can be found here
Under the proposal, a number of additional roles would be added to the list of employees required to obtain a WWCC. At present, these roles are;
- Anyone employed after March 2021
- The child safety team members
- Youth team members
- Member Wellbeing Advisors
Under the proposal, this would be expanded to include:
- CFA Board Members;
- CFA employees working under an Executive Officer Agreement;
- HR Business Partners;
- Employees in the Dispute Resolution Team;
- Health & Safety Advisors;
- Injury Recovery Advisors;
- Employees in the Legal Team; and
- Any other person undertaking child related work as defined in Part 1.1(7) of the Worker Screening Act 2020.
Whilst the ASU supports the principle of creating a child safe environment, we are concerned about overreach with these requirements. WWCCs can pick up a range of historical matters unrelated to children and should really only be required of people who have contact with children as part of their role. WWCCs have a limited and specific purpose and are not intended to be used as general character test.
Consultation is now open on this proposal. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact organiser Matt Price at mprice@asuvictas.com.au
