Police Checks: Everything you need to know – Careseekers

All care workers on the Careseekers database are required to have a National Police Certificate, obtained in the 12 months prior to registering with the platform. If using our free online platform, it is your responsibility to sight the care worker's National Police Certificate.

All care workers engaged through our Concierge Service have had their National Police Certificate sighted and verified by the Careseekers Care Team.

What is a police check and why is it useful?

A police check is a check of all national criminal records. Following a police check, the person being checked will be provided with a National Police Certificate. This Certificate provides a summary of any offences the person has committed that can be disclosed.

Most National Police Certificates will state 'no disclosable offences'.

A National Police Certificate states that the person has committed offences in the past. What should I do?

If the care worker has an offence listed on their National Police Certificate, it is up to you to decide whether you want to engage the person. In working this out, you may want to consider the following:

the relevance of the offence to the requirements of the work they will be required to do
the seriousness of the conviction or offence
the severity of any penalty imposed
whether the offence has been decriminalised or removed from the statutes
whether there was a finding of guilt without conviction, which may generally indicate a less serious view of the offence by the courts
the age of the person when the offence occurred
how long ago the offence was committed
whether the person has a pattern of offences
whether the person's circumstances have changed since the offence was committed, for example, recovered from prior drug addiction
the person's attitude to their prior offences

How do I know a National Police Certificate is authentic?

National Police Certificates are printed on secure paper. This paper has a number of security features. You may want to check that the Certificate has the following features:

a watermark consisting of multiple images of a padlock with two keys which is visible when held up to the light
fluorescent tricolour threads on both sides of the document glow blue, yellow and red when held under ultra violet light
a boarder to the right of the police logos on the front of the document is printed in MICROTYPE which can be read when viewed under magnification
images on the front are printed in heat sensitive ink, and when moderate heat or friction is applied, they will fade or disappear momentarily
hidden images printed in fluorescent ink will glow yellow and viewed under ultra violet light
screened background printed in solvent reactive ink

Do I need to do anything else?

Check the date the National Police Certificate was obtained, which will be stated on the Certificate. The Certificate covers any offences committed until this date. That is why it is important to make sure Certificates are recent. You may want to ask the person to do a police check to cover the period up to the date you want to engage them.

Checking other documents

It is important you also ask to see other documents such as certificates relating to qualifications, and identification documents e.g. passport or drivers license.

Contacting references

We recommend that you contact two of the care worker's referees. We have a list of recommended questions to ask care worker referees.

Remember that Careseekers can contact referees for you. Please contact 1300 765 465 to find out more.

Getting a police check

Anyone over the age of 14 can apply for their Police Check

A police check can be done through:

The Australian Federal Police
Your State police
An accredited agency

Working with Children Checks

If you are looking for a care worker to look after someone who is under 18, or if there will be minors in the home when they will be working, you may request for the care worker to obtain a Working With Children Check. The law differs depending on where you are in Australia. For more information, click on the link to your state and territory.

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