FAQ 05 Is a Working with Children Check different from a police check?
Yes. A police check is a point-in-time summary of your Australian criminal history and includes national convictions and certain types of spent convictions. A Working with Children Check is more detailed. It includes:
- national convictions – withdrawn, spent, non-convictions
- national charges – pending, withdrawn, dismissed, acquitted
- information from South Australian government agencies related to care concerns and investigations
Five years is a long time to be 'not prohibited' from working with children. What if someone gets a check then does something wrong?
Although Working with Children Checks are valid for five years, the DHS Screening Unit continuously monitors them. If new information about a person means they pose a risk to children's safety, that person’s check will be re-assessed and, if necessary, they will be prohibited from working with children. The DHS Screening Unit will inform both the person affected and any organisations they're linked to about the change in status.
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