Criminal history screening best practice guide in Australia

Summary Criminal history checks (or police checks) are now common practice in Australia, as they are known to be an effective risk mitigation tool for organisations and businesses.

However, most businesses are unaware of the best practices and the associated laws when performing these checks, which can be a danger within itself, if the activities are not carried out correctly.

This guide provides an overview of the best practices and will ensure that your business or organisation gets it right the first time and avoids the potential risks when conducting criminal history checks.

About this guide If you have been assigned the key role of implementing and managing a criminal history program for your business or organisation, then, it’s in your best interest to become familiar with the best practices and procedures surrounding police checks.

This guide will help you identify the key considerations so that you can be confident that your business or organisation has a well-established and robust criminal history screening program in place. Furthermore, by following the best practices in this guide, you will ensure that you safeguard your business against potential risks including, discrimination lawsuits, non-compliance with privacy laws and HR mismanagement.

ä What type of records are actually released on the certificate. ä Why you should have a solid policy - including a free template for download. ä The risks around privacy laws, legislation & compliance and how to reduce them.

While the information in this guide is not comprehensive, it does aim to provide an holistic scope covering the key considerations, including the planning, implementation, handling, storing and sharing of criminal history information, as well as the laws/ regulations and the decision making processes based around conducting police checks. Organisations should seek legal advice where necessary and may contact the co-author of this guide if further information is required.

What you will learn After reading this guide you will have learned about the following topics: ä What type of roles/ positions you should be conducting police checks for. ä What to do if a candidate has a criminal history. ä What to do if the applicant says “no” to doing a police check. ä Discrimination: what you must know and how to reduce the risk of complaints.

Who is it for?

This guide can be used for all industries and sectors Australia wide, including but not limited to commercial business, non-profit organisations, community care, government, ASX Listed companies, health/medical, transportation, domestic services, financial, manufacturing, IT, retail and mining.

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Contents 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2. Should my organisation conduct Police Checks? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 3. Conducting Police Checks on potential employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4. Assessing disclosable court outcomes 5. Relevant legislation

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6. Conducting Police Checks on Existing Employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 7. Refusal to undertake a Criminal history Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 8. Right to dispute the results / Opportunity to be heard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 9. Terminating an employee based on a Criminal History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 10. Developing a Police Check policy? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 11. Options to source Criminal history Checks in Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Published October 2015 by: InterCheck Australia. www.intercheck.com.au

Research & Analysis by:

Melissa Strain -Senior associate Wisewould Mahony Lawyers www.wisewouldmahony.com.au

Hayden Langhorn - Managing director InterCheck Australia PH: 1300 794 440 www.intercheck.com.au

Š InterCheck Australia 2015 This work is protected by copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), no part may be used or reproduced by any process without prior written permission from InterCheck Australia. Enquiries should be addressed to the privacy oďŹƒcer at: help@intercheck.com.au Disclaimer: This publication is provided in good faith and for general information purposes only. This publication does not constitute legal advice, and must not be relied upon as a substitute for legal advice. You should seek professional legal advice in relation to matters arising out of this publication.

No warranty or representation regarding the reliability, quality or accuracy of any information in this publication is given by Wisewould Mahony or InterCheck Australia.

Original publication: October 2015

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Introduction Conducting criminal history checks for existing or potential new staff, is now becoming common practice in Australia.

fications and risks associated when handling, storing, sharing and making adverse decision based on Criminal history information.

For many industries, conducting criminal history checks is a mandatory requirement, however, in recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of criminal history checks conducted as more organisations conduct criminal history checks as a proactive measure as part of their risk management process. The benefits include promoting a safe working environment, mitigating risks to the organisation and protecting the people, property and reputation of an organisation.

To make matters worse, there is now a large number of companies within Australia offering criminal history checking services, without ensuring that these best practices are being followed correctly. Unfortunately, due to the high level of competition, such providers have a sales focused agenda, rather than having the customers best interests at heart. Not knowing these best practice procedures can put your organisation at risk.

However, with this increased adoption within Australia, we have found that there are a large number of organisations who do not fully understand the best practices surrounding criminal history checking procedures. This can be a real danger for businesses, because there are rami-

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Key Considerations?

What could go wrong you may be asking? What are the risks? What should I know? Well for starters, according to the Australian Human Rights Commission, there have been a number of complaints from people alleging discrimination in employment on the basis of their criminal record. Then there are the grey areas, where many organisations just don’t know the boundaries when handling specific situations - for example if an applicant refuses to consent to a criminal history check, what rights do you have? Or, how do you respond when an applicant has a criminal history and claims that it is not theirs - what can you do?

These types of questions and the increase in complaints by applicants indicate that there is a great deal of misunderstanding by both employers and people with criminal records around the best practices for criminal history screening.

This guide sets out to provide an overview of the key factors to consider when conducting criminal history checking, with the intention of assisting your organisation in complying with relevant laws and industry practices, so that your organisation makes the right decisions and reduces any potential risk. While this guide provides a broad framework, it is not exhaustive and organisations should seek professional advice where necessary.

Some key considerations: ä Ways to Reduce complaints (alleging discrimination) ä How to establish if a Criminal Check is required ä What if the applicant refuses to do a check ä What do do if an applicant claims their record is wrong. ä Formulating a solid policy ä Privacy laws

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Should my organisation conduct Police Checks?

The need to conduct criminal history checks on staďŹ&#x20AC; or potential candidates depends on a number of diďŹ&#x20AC;erent factors. Some occupations legally require police checks under legislative or regulatory frameworks for registration, licensing or employment purposes. Some of these occupations may include, but are not limited to; lawyers, community care workers, teachers, the police, correctional staďŹ&#x20AC;, taxi drivers, financial brokers, building practitioners, bail justices, health practitioners and aged-care workers.

These positions require mandatory criminal history checks and in most cases, the individual will not be able to start the role until a recent check result is obtained and can be produced.

On the other hand, more and more employers are choosing to conduct criminal history checks as part of their own risk mitigation strategy, as it is known to be an eďŹ&#x20AC;ective way to guard against potential risks. Some of the benefits of conducting police checks can include: ä 3URPRWLRQ RI D VDIH ZRUNLQJ HQYLURQPHQW ä 3URWHFWLRQ RI SHRSOH SURSHUW\ DVVHWV DQG FRPSDQ\ information. ä 7KHIW UHGXFWLRQ ä (QVXULQJ DSSOLFDQWV DUH KRQHVW DQG WUXVWZRUWK\ ä 0DLQWDLQLQJ EXVLQHVV UHSXWDWLRQ

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When determining whether a police check is needed, an employer should consider a risk based approach based on a thorough understanding of the types of risks each role may be exposed to and the context that the role operates within. For example, an IT worker may have access to personal or company sensitive information and therefore, there is a potential risk of the mishandling of that information. It is therefore recommended to conduct a criminal istory check to ensure that the worker does not have any fraud, theft or embezzlement charges or convictions.

Another example may be a domestic service/ trades worker who may need to enter private homes. Although, in these types of roles it is not always mandatory to obtain a police check, an employer may want to think about the potential risks, such as access to personal property or contact with vulnerable people. In this situation, you would want to ensure the worker who undertakes such a role does not have any recent theft, rape or assault charges against their name, as this situation would expose great risks to the residents of the homes themselves and to your business if something did go wrong.

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Conducting Police Checks on potential employees

Once an organisation has decided to conduct criminal history checks for a specific role following a comprehensive risk assessment, the following steps should be taken:

3. Explain the requirement for a police check clearly during the interview.

1. Formulate a Criminal History Check Policy Before you start conducting checks your organisation you should have a documented Police check policy in place, which will help potential candidates and employees fully understand your organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s objective in conducting police checks and help avoid any misunderstandings. *For more information refer to page 16.

During the interview it should be reiterated that the role requires the applicant to consent to a police check, based on the risks that are inherent with the role and that any criminal record will be assessed against those risks.

2. State the requirement for the police check on the job advertisement.

4. Conduct police checks on the preferred or short listed candidates.

It is also recommended to state on the advertisement that a criminal history does not automatically bar people from applying. This then allows for an open and honest discussion in the early stages of the recruitment process.

This will avoid the cost and the administrative burden of organising police checks for unsuccessful applicants and will also avoid the risk of confidential information being disclosed unnecessarily.

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4

Assessing disclosable court outcomes

When a police check reveals a disclosable court outcome or any outstanding charges, the relevant manager in charge of the screening process must follow some basic steps before proceeding further. At this stage, the relevant manager should: a) Advise the employee that a criminal record has been released, so that the applicant has the right to dispute the court outcomes. (In the circumstance that they claim the outcomes are inaccurate and not connected to their name). This is mandatory. b) Provide the employee an opportunity to be heard; and encourage an open and honest discussion about the findings. c) Comply with the company’s assessment criteria in determining whether the employee’s criminal record jeopardises their suitability for their position; d) Provide a recommendation to the senior management for a decision (if applicable).

In assessing the relevance and impact of an employee’s criminal record, it is best practice to consider the following factors: a) The relevance of the offence in relation to the nature of the employee’s position; for instance, if an employee has a record for shoplifting, whether or not it undermines their suitability as an aged care worker; b) The time elapsed since the offence and the age of the individual at the time of the offence; c) Whether it was an isolated offence or there has been a pattern of criminal behaviour; d) The severity of the sentence; such as, whether a conviction was recorded, or the person was merely placed on a good behaviour bond; e) The employee’s length of service and performance within the organisation; f) The employee’s individual circumstances surrounding the offence; g) The proportionality of removing the employee from their position for the type of conviction; h) The extent of risk that the employee would impose on the organisation if they continue in their role. i) The disclosed criminal record and any changes in legislation relevant to the position.

Important An employee should not be automatically dismissed because they have a criminal record if the disclosed criminal record is irrelevant to the person’s role. Such actions may expose the organisation to claims of workplace discrimination as stipulated under the AHRC Act.

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Relevant legislation

If a police check reveals a criminal record for an individual, an employer will likely consider that record in determining whether or not to employ that individual.

Ideally, that decision would be based on the organisation’s criminal record policy, see 9 below. The criminal record policy should set out the requirements of each position and may include which offences automatically disqualify an individual from a particular position.

Each decision should be made once all the relevant facts have been considered including the connection between the criminal record and inherent requirements of the position. The potential employee should also be invited to address the outcome of a police check to ensure no mistakes have been made.

Privacy laws Under privacy laws an individual’s criminal record is considered as sensitive information pursuant to privacy legislation including. Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic). Additional protections are given to sensitive information under these laws.

Although exemptions from privacy laws may apply to some private sector employers, it is best practice to follow privacy laws as closely as possible, having measures in place to keep any police history information confidential and in secure storage.

For more information on the Privacy Act and Australia Privacy Principles (APPs) visit the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au.

Industrial relations laws State and federal industrial laws may also protect people with a criminal record from dismissal as a direct consequence of their disclosed criminal history. An employee may be protected by the general protections laws under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth). *More information can be found from the Fairwork site. http://www.fairwork.gov.au/ending-employment/unfair-dismissal

Spent convictions legislation Employers should be aware of spent conviction legislation, which limits the release of some older, less serious convictions and findings of guilt. These laws are in place to assist individuals with a criminal record by providing them with a means of ‘moving on’ with their lives and putting their past behind them.

Spent conviction legislation varies between the various state and territory jurisdictions. Some offences are excluded from being ‘spent’ where the check is required for certain purposes, such as occupations involving contact with children or vulnerable persons. Any serious crimes or long terms of imprisonment will also be exempt from the spent conviction laws.

If you do become aware of an employee’s spent convictions during the screening process when it was not disclosed by the police, you should ensure that it does not affect your decision to employ the candidate.

More information covering spent conviction legislation can be found on the various State police websites.

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Discrimination and the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)

Under the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Act 1986, the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has the power to investigate workplace discrimination on the grounds of a person’s criminal record. According to the guidelines provided by the AHRC, whether or not a criminal record is relevant depends on the inherent requirements of the position. The AHRC Act provides an exception to discrimination in employment; the inherent requirements exception. This means that if an applicant does not get a job because they cannot perform something essential to that particular job it is not considered to be discrimination.

Please note; Tasmania and the Northern Territory have anti-discrimination legislation which prevents an employer discriminating on the basis of an “irrelevant criminal record”

In some cases, the connection between the criminal record and the job role will be clear enough for the employer to decide easily on the suitability of the applicant for the specific job. For example, the employment of a person with a particular criminal record may be prohibited by legislation. However, in other cases, it may be more difficult to determine if the conviction or offence is relevant to the inherent requirements of the job.

An employer should provide an opportunity to the applicant to discuss the circumstances around the charge or conviction, to help determine whether the applicant can meet the inherent requirements of the job. The type of information which an employer may need to consider when assessing the relevance of a person’s criminal record includes the factors outlined previously on page 4.

For more detailed information The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), has also released an in depth guide - which can be found on their website or downloaded here.

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Conducting Police Checks on Existing Employees

In certain industries, mandatory Criminal history checks may be required due to legislation. Mandatory police checks are usually completed at the pre-employment stage and periodically depending on the industry requirements. Employers should be aware of any such industry specific requirements and ensure policies should be in place in order to comply with the requirements.

If an existing employee is moving into a role with a different level of risk and it has been established that a police check is required because of those risks, then you should ensure that the employee completes a police check before changing roles.

If they have an existing clearance, you need consider when the certificate was issued and if the check covers the specific risks of that role. For example if the employee being promoted has a police certificate for the purpose of “access to sensitive information” and they are being placed into a role with direct care of vulnerable people, then the original police check would not cover the new role and an updated police check is required specifying the new role.

If the existing employee has been in a role that did not require a police check ar the outset, then you should explain to them that the new role has different levels of risks and explain to them why a police check needs to be obtained before they can be placed into the new role.

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Conducting Police Checks on Existing Employees with no change of role If your business has no existing criminal history screening program in place and intends to establish a new program, (or it becomes a mandatory requirement) then there must be careful planning put in place before commencing any program and before announcing the program to existing staff. If not approached in the correct manner there may be some resentment by existing staff and you may encounter problems that could easily have been avoided with some careful planning in the initial stage.

Firstly the need to conduct the police checks should be justifiable and established due to either a risk assessment within specific roles or due to a change in the law or regulations for a particular industry and/or a specific role. An example would be a team of trade workers needing to work on a government site. In order to be granted access to work on any government site there is a requirement that any 3rd party must present a police clearance before access can be granted. This reason would then be articulated to the employees who need to obtain the police check for that purpose.

Employers do not normally conduct police checks on existing employees if there is no inherent risk to a specific role. If an employer decides to conduct police checks on existing staff, but has not conducted a clear ’Risk assessment’ , or does not identify any inherent risks within the role then this may wellcause resentment among staff and furthermore, this would open up the employer to potential legal risks themselves.

Announcing to existing employees that you will be conducting police checks is a delicate process. Some employees may feel threatened or that they have lost their employer’s confidence, especially if they have been employed at the organisation for some time.

Continue reading on page 12

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Continued from Conducting Police Checks on Existing Employees

It is therefore prudent to notify all employees that the organisation will be conducting police checks as part of the organisation’s wider risk management programme or due to a mandated requirement. This is an opportunity to explain why this new policy is being implemented, making it clear that police checks help mitigate the company’s risks and/or fulfil a mandated requirement.

a) The type of information disclosed by police checks, explaining that the laws in some states and territories prevent certain records from appearing in the results.

It is best practice to inform your employees of the types of court outcomes that would attract an assessment of their suitability, assuring them that having a criminal history does NOT automatically disqualify them from the position. You must also assure the employee that any result will be handled with the strictest confidentiality by senior management and will be assessed fairly on a case by case basis.

c) Your policy considerations behind conducting police checks, as stipulated in the company’s risk management policies.

In summary, employers should communicate the following information as early as possible in the screening process to promote a positive environment which is conducive to an honest exchange of information between stakeholders:

b) The protection afforded to spent convictions unless specifically required under legislation.

d) The identified areas of crime relevant to the employee’s role within the organisation e) The assessment process, including the consideration given to individual circumstances. f) The staff members conducting the assessment. g) The company’s confidentiality/ privacy policies and criminal record storage policies. h) Their employment rights under the Fair Work and anti-discrimination legislation.

In addition, you should assure employees that they will be given the opportunity to dispute the police check results, if they believe the record is incorrect.

Furthermore you should assure them that they will be given the opportunity to discuss any record if they wish to disclose further information to assist the employer in the assessment process.

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Refusal to undertake a Criminal history Check

Employers can only conduct a criminal history check with the informed consent of the individual.

Employees are often reluctant to disclose their criminal history for fear that their colleagues or the management team in the organisation will discover undisclosed personal information and that they will be subjected to harassment or discrimination with the possibility of being dismissed due to their criminal records.

If an employee refuses to consent to a police check, a private meeting with a relevant senior manager should be arranged to explain the organisation’s justification behind the policy.

The meeting should reiterate the company’s strict confidentiality policy on criminal records, making it clear that only select managers will have access to the information. The employee should now have an understanding of the types of crimes that are relevant to the screening process, and the protection afforded to them by spent conviction schemes in their respective state or territory.

The manager should explain that not all criminal records will affect their employment conditions and that their record will be assessed sensitively with consideration to a range of reasonable factors. Ideally, the employee will disclose the reasons behind their resistance. If the employee reveals any relevant criminal history at this stage, make sure you encourage an open and supportive dialogue which assesses the disclosed information against the organisation’s criminal record policy.

If the employee refuses to consent to a police check after going over the above procedures, refer them to your organisation’s policy on failure to undergo a police check. It should be explained that failure to comply may result in a determination being made that they are no longer suitable for their role which could result in termination or a change of position / role.

Employees could also be reminded of their right to lodge a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission if they face discrimination because of their criminal history and their general protections under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) which prevent employees being dismissed for a prohibited reason.

“If the employee refuses to consent to a police check after going over the above procedures, refer them to your organisation’s policy on failure to undergo a police check.”

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Right to dispute / Opportunity to be heard

As previously discussed, it is mandatory to disclose criminal history results with the employee/ candidate first, to provide them their right to dispute the result, in the circumstances that they may claim that the disclosable court outcomes against their name, has been released in error. This procedure needs to be done in the initial stage before any decisions are made or any other members of management needs to be involved.

Additionally, informing the Employee/ Candidate about their disclosable court outcomes will provide them an opportunity to be heard and will also encourage an open discussion in regards to the released court outcomes.

At the meeting, the employee should be asked whether they want to offer any information before the employer makes a decision. This could include details about the record, the circumstances surrounding the crime, and the rehabilitative and preventive measures taken by the person to ensure that the offence does not reoccur.

It is best practice to explain the assessment process to the employee so they understand that their job is not jeopardised by the mere existence of a criminal record. The organisation should be fair and thorough in assessing their risk management goals against the employee’s individual circumstances.

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“It is best practice to explain the assessment process to the employee so they understand that their job is not jeopardised by the mere existence of a criminal record.”

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Terminating an employee based on a Criminal History

If the employee’s criminal history reveals a relevant criminal record and senior management finds that the employee is no longer suitable to hold their position, the organisation should explore their options prior to jumping in and terminating the employee.

The first option, if practical, may be to retain the employee within the organisation and transferring them into an alternative role which does NOT carry the same inherent risks as the role they are currently holding or applying for. This option may not always be practical but should be strongly considered before deciding to terminate the employee.

Once a decision has been made to dismiss the employee, the employer should consider the following: a) Consider the employer’s obligations and responsibilities under anti-discrimination and unfair dismissal legislation;

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b) Discuss the decision with the employee, outlining the requirements of the position and their unsuitability for the role; c) Document the decision in writing (comprehensively documenting the decision allows the organisation to adequately respond to any allegations of wrongdoing at a later stage.); and d) Seek legal advice before terminating to minimise exposure to a claim by the dismissed employee.

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Developing a Police Check policy?

As a part of the company’s wider risk management program, it is best practice for organisations to develop a robust police check policy to prevent discrimination and create a positive work environment that encourages the fair and lawful treatment of its employees. A written policy can help both potential job candidates and current employees fully understand the company’s objectives in conducting police checks. This avoids misunderstandings which could potentially disrupt the productivity and welfare of employees. A written policy will also set out the employer’s legal obligations under anti-discrimination laws, assuring employees that they will not be dealt with unjustly, harshly, or inconsiderately because they have some sort of criminal history.

The Australian Human Rights Commission recommends that employers consider the inherent requirements of each particular position and what type of crimes are relevant to that position before a job is advertised or an employee is requested to consent to a police check.

By stipulating these considerations in a written policy which employees can refer to throughout the screening process, the employer fosters a sense of certainty and fairness. If the employer considers these factors for the first time while reacting to the disclosure of an individual’s criminal conduct, they may expose themselves to discrimination allegations. Generally, a police check policy should include the following: a) A statement concerning the employer’s commitment to comply with anti-discrimination, spent conviction, and privacy laws; having regard to fairness and natural justice. b) An outline of both the employer and the employee’s legal rights and obligations on this matter. c) An outline of the employer’s other legal requirements - such as compliance with industry-specific legislation. d) The detailed process for assessing the inherent requirements of each position, including when and how police checks can be requested, the process and factors relevant to assessing suitability, and the procedure to address employee grievances. e) The personnel responsible for conducting/overseeing the various aspects of the risk management process.

By involving staff members in the process of developing the policies and making sure that your policies are accessible and comprehensive, your organisation can create an atmosphere where employees trust you with criminal history information, and feel comfortable with your risk management program overall.

InterCheck Australia has a free policy template that can be downloaded on their website, go to www.intercheck. com.au/policytemplate

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Options to source Criminal history Checks in Australia

In Australia there are two available options for businesses and organisations to obtain criminal history checks.

1. State Police / AFP 2. ACIC accredited broker.

Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission $FFUHGLWHG Brokers ACIC accredited agencies are able to source criminal history checks directly through ACIC, the government agency who manages the national names index in Canberra, which covers all states and territories of Australia. It is the same database that the state police and AFP use for their own applications.

State Police Traditionally the police have been able to service individuals and provide police clearances for employment purposes. Turnaround times can vary, ranging from 10 to 20 business days or a lot longer when further investigations are required. Generally the police do NOT have any centralised business portal, so managing and monitoring multiple applications can be logistically challenging. As a provider of individual applications, the police do not have a system to batch multiple checks at once and payment is restricted for individual applications only.

Most brokers are able to provide a more streamlined service, dependant on their technology and service capabilities which can vary greatly. Turnaround times can vary. A good broker will be able to deliver 60 - 70% of applications within 1 business day and up to 80% of applications within 2 business days.

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Sourcing the right $&,& Broker Having seen a large increase in the demand for criminal history checks in recent years, there has also been an increase in the number companies offering criminal history checks. To gain market share, some providers have been using deceitful marketing claims and compromising on compliance, just so they can be seen as the “cheapest” & most “streamlined’’ service provider on the market.

Such providers are on a sales focused agenda and as such lack the holistic approach that is required to ensure businesses stay compliant and mitigate potential risks.

An experienced and reputable provider with proven abilities will enable you to manage the process efficiently, ensuring that your staff and the candidates themselves have a seamless experience during the process. A solid provider will have proven processes to ensure your business complies with relevant legislation, while still offering a robust platform that can ultimately save your business administration time.

Checklist Before diving in and using any criminal history check provider, it is therefore recommended to conduct a thorough assessment to ascertain the capabilities of the providers, the level of service delivery and their experience.

To help you ask the right questions and ensure you make an informed decision when selecting a $&,& broker, download our free checklist at www.intercheck.com.au/checklist

EXPERIENCE TECHNOLOGY COMPLIANCE, AUDITING SUPPORT/RESOURCES/TRAINING ACRREDITATION STATUS ONLINE APPLICATION FORM ADMINISTRATION REQUIREMENTS TURNAROUND TIMES

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About InterCheck Australia Free 30 day access to InterCheck’s Online business portal.

InterCheck Australia is a registered $&,& broker specialising in criminal history checking services and compliance. Since starting operations in 2009 InterCheck is now trusted by over 1200 business Australia wide.

Intercheck’s focus and strength is in its technology platform, providing both businesses and government with a streamlined way to easily lodge, monitor and manage Criminal History applications without the administration complexities or long waiting times. With its “lean” agile approach towards innovation InterCheck continues to invest in technology with the aim to retain its reputation as being one of the most customer centric and supportive providers in Australia.

Additionally, Intercheck’s holistic service approach and compliance support, has also contributed to its large referral client base and this is an area where InterCheck adds that extra value, ensuring businesses are compliant and are conducting their criminal history checks according to industry best practice.

For more about intercheck Australia go to: www.intercheck.com.au/business

In order for you to make an assessment of InterCheck’s online business portal capabilities, we are offering access to our business portal for a FREE 30 day trial. (No subscription fees). This will give you the opportunity to establish if InterCheck’s online system will fit in with your own business requirements.

This offer can only be exclusively used with the link below: www.intercheck.com.au/demo/free30daysassessment If you wish to speak with our business success manager please contact: 1300 794 440

Compliance / Best Practice support If you need assistance with your current criminal history check program, we’re also happy to help out in any way we can. Please contact an InterCheck Australia compliance manager on 1300 794 440.

Contributions If you wish to provide information/ suggestions or feel you can contribute further to this publication please email suggestions/ comments to help@intercheck.com.au

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