Screening for Criminal History (National Police History Checks)

Principals and line managers are required to ensure that any person they are about to employ is in possession of a current National Police History Check (NPHC - formerly called a National Criminal History Record Check) conducted through the Department’s Screening Unit, or, in the case of Teachers, conducted by the Western Australian College of Teaching (WACOT).

Applicants will need to complete the National Police History Check (Consent to obtain personal information) form.

General Information

The Screening Unit is conscious of the needs of schools and the urgency that sometimes comes with the hiring of staff, however, as the Department’s screening process relies on the services of an outside agency (CrimTrac), the Department is restricted by their timelines once the details of an applicant have been sent for clearance. The Screening Unit can now accept credit card payments from applicants which is expected to assist with the prompt processing of applications.  Payment details can be provided in the Consent to obtain personal information section of the form.

In most cases, an application will be cleared within a few days, however, in a small number of cases an application can be in process for up to 3 weeks. All effort is taken to ensure a timely response, but Principals and line managers need to be aware that delays may occur.

Applicants who have criminal history information matching their personal details can expect that their application will take a little longer to process, as all such cases are carefully considered to determine suitability for employment. However, Principals and line managers should not assume that if an application is taking more time than usual to process that there is criminal information for that applicant. In many cases, the delays are because there is a match in personal details (name, date of birth) for someone with similar details who does have a criminal record. Historical data shows that only 3% (approximately) of the total number of applications processed reveal criminal history information.

The Department is not permitted to have access to juvenile offences, therefore any person to be employed under the age of 18 cannot be screened until after they turn 18. In such cases, employees under the age of 18 should complete the Confidential Declaration located in the Visitors and Intruders on School Premises policy.

Please Note: The Department of Education does not accept clearances from any other agency for employees or volunteers, including the National Police Certificate which is applied for at an Australia Post Office. The only exception is in the case of Teachers who are usually screened by the Western Australian College of Teaching (WACOT).