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Children’s Act 2014

Children's worker safety checking - Obligations of specified organisations

26: Safety checks of existing children's workers

You could also call this:

"Organisations must check workers who care for kids are safe to work with them."

Illustration for Children’s Act 2014

If you work with kids, your organisation must check you are safe to work with them. This check must be done by a certain date. The date depends on what kind of worker you are. You can find out what the check involves by looking at section 31.

If you had a safety check done in the last three years, your organisation does not need to do another one. Your organisation must make sure all its workers have had a safety check. If your organisation does not do this, it can get in trouble and have to pay a fine of up to $10,000.

Your organisation needs to make sure it follows the rules so it can keep kids safe. It has a few years to get all its workers checked. The rules are in place to protect kids and make sure they are safe when they are with workers.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM5501708.

Topics:
Family and relationships > Children and parentingCrime and justice > Police and safety
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25: Safety checks of new children's workers, or

"Before hiring new staff to work with kids, organisations must do a safety check first."

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27: Periodic safety checks of children's workers, or

"Organisations must check children's workers are safe every three years to protect kids."

Part 3Children's worker safety checking
Obligations of specified organisations

26Safety checks of existing children's workers

  1. A specified organisation must, on or before the applicable date set out in subsection (2), ensure that a safety check that complies with section 31 is completed of every children's worker who is employed or engaged by the organisation before that date and who it intends will still be employed or engaged by the organisation on that date.

  2. The applicable dates are as follows:

  3. in the case of a core worker, the date that is 3 years after the date on which this Part comes into force:
    1. in the case of a non-core worker, the date that is 4 years after the date on which this Part comes into force.

      1. However, a specified organisation need not comply with subsection (1) if the organisation is satisfied that a safety check of the person that complies with section 31 was completed within 3 years before the relevant date described in subsection (2).

      2. A specified organisation that, in relation to a children's worker whom it continues to employ or engage, fails to comply with subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000.