PROTECTING CHILDREN IN OUT OF HOME CARE IN MANLY

Checks on adults working with children and young people in residential care will be strengthened in Manly through a significant investment from the NSW Government.

The Residential Care Workers Register is a recommendation by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that is now in place.

Member for Manly James Griffin MP said the Register will help prevent unsuitable residential care workers moving between service providers undetected.

“The Register will help keep our most vulnerable children and young people safer,” Mr Griffin said.

“Given the vulnerability of this group of young people, this Register is a welcome addition to support their safety.”

Minister for Families and Communities Natasha Maclaren-Jones MLC said while most workers in this area do the right thing and have the children’s best interests at heart, this new Register will prevent workers who pose a risk to young people in residential care from moving between agencies.

“It will require out-of-home care providers to hold relevant information about people working as residential care workers, which can be shared between agencies,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.

“The Register is another tool for agencies to make sure people who are unsuitable to care for children cannot change agencies to avoid any transgressions or misconduct.”

The new requirements will apply to residential care workers currently working, or applying for jobs in the out-of-home care sector.

The sector has come together in support of this important new initiative.

This new safety measure builds on existing screening tools such as the Working with Children Check and National Criminal Record Check.