Family Day Care Information Sheet Safety Screening Clearances and Compliance

Information Sheet
Education and Care Unit (the Unit), as the
Tasmanian Regulatory Authority, of the individual
circumstance. (See Education and Care Services
National Regulation 175 (2) (c)).
2. The Unit will record the notification. This record
forms part of the compliance history of the
service and may assist in determining when
compliance action is required. The compliance
history may also be considered as part of the
assessment and rating process.
3. The individual is to be supervised at all times and
not left alone with any of the children attending
the education and care service.
NOTE: The approved provider may be requested by
the Unit, to show evidence confirming all staff members
hold a current safety screening clearance, as per
regulation 344, at any time determined necessary by the
Regulatory Authority.
For Family Day Care Educators:
The approved provider should contact the either the
Education and Care Unit on 1300 135 513 or Conduct
and Investigations on 6233 7896, within the Tasmanian
Department of Education, to confirm the status of
safety screening clearances for all educators prior to
employing, appointing or engaging them in this role.
Safety screening clearances that were issued on or before
31 December 2011 are still a valid document. From 1
January 2012, however, the fitness and proper status of
these people is determined by an assessment completed
by the approved provider.
To comply with regulation 163, the approved provider
must assess each person and consider one of the following
in respect to the person:
A criminal history record check issued not more
than 6 months before it is considered; or
A current working with children check, working
with children card, or working with vulnerable
people check issued on the basis of a criminal
history record check; or
A current teacher registration.
Please note, a safety screening clearance is not equivalent
to any of the above records or documents.
There are no specific requirements to reassess the fit
and proper status of any resident over the age of 18 years,
but a family day care service could develop policies
detailing this as a requirement if so desired.
Ensuring a family day care educator is not left alone
with the children until such time as the safety screening
clearance is received would not be practicable and may
be considered an unmanageable risk to the health,
safety and well-being of the children at the service.
Therefore, it is not possible to employ, appoint or
engage a family day care educator prior to
confirmation of a current safety screening being
provided by the Department of Education.
For residents at family day care residences:
Whilst applications for safety screening clearances are
no longer required for residents at a family day care
residence, the approved provider of a family day care
service must take reasonable steps to ensure that a
person over the age of 18 years who resides at a family
day care residence is a fit and proper person to be in
the company of children (r163).
CONTACT DETAILS
Education and Care Unit, Department of Education, GPO Box 169, Hobart, Tas, 7001
Toll Free Number: 1300 135 513, Fax: 6233 6042, web: www.childcare.tas.gov.au