As service providers and childcare workers in the child safeguarding space, we are encountering so many organisations working with children who are ignorant about the legally required screening and vetting required against the Sex Offenders (NRSO) and Child Protection (NCPR) Registers. They agree that a Police Clearance is required, but some have even admitted that they do not even have a Police Clearance certificate on record at the organisation.
Secondly, people do not understand that a police clearance certificate (PCC) is usually valid for 6 months from the date of issue, but this can vary, so you must always check with the specific authority or employer requesting it, as some might require a newer one (e.g., within 3 months) or have different rules.
Thirdly, organisations do not make it a priority to have their staff and volunteers appropriately screened and where they have child protection and safeguarding policies in place, the priority on appropriate screening is not highlighted and are in some cases not properly documented and enforced.
Fourthly, there’s a misconception that screening only takes place at the appointment of the staff member. Therefore, a person may have been screened at appointment and never again, and the organisation will never know whether this person received a conviction in a court of law after his/her appointment.
Therefore, a Police Clearance is not necessarily a legal requirement, but is the first step in screening as it will give the employer an idea as to whether the prospective employee or volunteer has any prior convictions in a court of law and what they were.
What is required by law is the screening against the National Register for Sex Offenders Register and National Child Protection Register. The screening application for the Sex Offenders Register will require a Police Clearance (done through SAPS) or a Criminal Check which can be done electronically through designated companies like ours.
There is no legislation which determines how often the screening must be done (no screening is valid and applicable forever), but the NPA has on a previous occasion recommended that the screening must be redone at least every 24 months. Take the example that you can be screened today and your name is not found on the registers. Then, you perpetrate by sexually assaulting a child or a vulnerable person, gain a conviction in a court of law, and your name is placed on the NRSO. If the employer does not check again (at least within the next 24 months), they will never know that you have this criminal record, further endangering the children in your care.
Let’s do the right thing for the safety and protection of the children in your care.