National police history checks for worker safety

Practitioners sometimes need to have contact with a person who has a history of violence.

A national police history check should be conducted before undertaking any direct contact in such situations.

In these circumstances the individual’s consent to a national police history check is not required.

Case practitioner tasks

• Consult with your supervisor about whether a national police history check should be undertaken in cases where you need to have contact with a person who has a history of violence.
• If a national police history check reveals information related to violence or weapons, formulate and enact a safety plan in consultation with your supervisor prior to contact and create an alert in CRIS.
• If a national police history check indicates that a person may have offences in another state or territory and the details of these offences cannot be confirmed before the contact visit or office contact, formulate and enact a safety plan in consultation with your supervisor and police where required.

Supervisor tasks

• Consider whether to undertake a national police history check in cases where a practitioner needs to have contact with a person who has a history of violence. See Undertaking a national police history check. The individual’s consent is not required for the national police history check.
• If a national police history check reveals information related to violence or weapons, formulate and enact a safety plan for the practitioner.
• If a national police history check indicates that a person may have offences in another state or territory and the details of these offences cannot be confirmed before the contact visit or office contact, formulate and enact a safety plan for the practitioner.

• Undertaking national police history checks