This procedure describes how international police checks can be obtained.
It is department policy that an international police check must be undertaken for individuals being assessed as a carer or are a usual adult household member when they have lived overseas for six months or more and as part of the ongoing review of the placement. This includes New Zealand citizens residing in Australia.
An international police check may also be considered to support an assessment of protective concerns when endorsed by a child protection practitioner (CPP5 or above) of a kinship carer or other adult household member.
An international police check can be undertaken for other household members under the age of 18 years with the consent of the young person and their parent (noting the limitations in police check for individuals under the age of 18 years old which varies considerably in different countries).
International police checks, as described in this procedure, can only be undertaken where the individual is residing in Australia.
Unlike a national police check, Child Protection is unable to directly apply for international police checks. Instead, Child Protection will need to request the individual, for whom the international police check is required, obtain the international police check for each country they have lived in for a period of six months or longer, and provide the results to Child Protection.
Rather than the kinship carer and others having to apply direct to each country they have resided, the department has engaged Kinatico, as a provider, to undertake this service on the behalf of the adult kinship carer and adult household members for the purpose of completing a kinship carer assessment.
The international police check process is an online process and cannot be undertaken over the phone.
While most countries are covered under this international police check process, if the department is advised otherwise, the kinship carer and household members will need to apply directly to the country in question for a police check.
An international police check will provide information about an individual’s offence history in international jurisdictions, this may include identifying felony and/or misdemeanour level conviction records and arrests pending adjudication.
Case practitioner tasks
Seek endorsement from a CPP5 or above to request an individual undertakes an international police check, and endorsement that the department will cover the cost.
All individuals, and other usual adult household members who have lived overseas for six months or more must complete an international police check for every country they have lived in when they are being assessed as a kinship care as part of the ongoing review of the placement.
Consider if an international police check is required when assessing protective concerns.
Request the individuals undertake an international police check and agree to provide Child Protection with the results (including when the individual has to apply directly to countries where these are not covered under the usual process).
Inform the individual that the results of their international police check need to be advised to Child Protection and will be recorded in CRIS.
Confirm to the individuals that as Child Protection is requiring the individuals to complete the international police check, the costs will be paid by the department.
Raise a ticket via Our Service for the kinship carer or usual adult household member for an international police check. You must provide the carers full name, their email address and the name of the allocated child protection practitioner.
When a ticket is raised in Our Service, Kinatico will be engaged by the department on the carer's behalf. Kinatico will send an email direct to the carer with instructions on the form they need to complete and documentation to upload.
Support the individuals to complete the form and upload the necessary documentation as required.
Wherever possible, sight proof of identity documentation for the subject that includes at least one type of photo identification plus the subject’s address, previous names/alias or change of name details, signature and date of birth.
Take a photo or photocopy of the identification.
Enter a case note on CRIS noting that you have sighted the photo identification.
This identity documentation should already have been sighted as part of the kinship assessment and the same information can be used for this purpose.
Upload a copy of the results into a CRIS case note when received. Record the outcome of the check in CRIS using the case note in upper case ‘INTERNATIONAL POLICE CHECK - <name of subject person ie SMITH, John>’.
Include the date and time the request was made and the response received.
Record the outcome of the check, that is, ‘No disclosable matters recorded’ or 'Disclosable matters recorded'.
Include the complete details of any disclosable matters.
An outcome of the application/copy of the certificate will be provided to the allocated child protection practitioner by the department once the outcomes is known following the work completed by Kinatico.
Advise the kinship carer or other usual adult household member the outcome of the check.
Consult your supervisor if the international police check reveals any disclosable offences.
Assess the risk of the individual subject to the international police check having contact with a child. Refer to Categorisation of offences which categorises the seriousness of offences into three categories and provides advice to assist assessment. Refer to procedure Undertaking a National Police history check detailing case practitioner tasks when disclosable offences are received.
Team manager tasks
Endorse the cost of the international police check from your teams cost centre.
Endorse the decision to seek an international police check for the purposes of protective concerns.