27 FebEnsuring child safety: ANZUK’s commitment to safe and secure recruitment
At ANZUK, we believe that every child deserves a safe, supportive, and nurturing learning environment. That’s why safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. Our rigorous recruitment procedures are designed to uphold the highest standards of child protection, ensuring that every educator we place is thoroughly vetted and fully committed to student well-being. By prioritising safety at every step, we create environments where children can thrive, learn, and reach their full potential.
How do we screen educators before considering their employment?
At ANZUK, before we consider working with an educator, they undergo a thorough screening by our consultants. We ask questions about their experience in the industry, their qualifications, and assess their strengths and areas for growth.
Did you know? Many of our consultants at ANZUK have previously worked in the education industry, giving them deep insight into the sector.
How do we ensure that their references are current and relevant?
All of our educators must provide a minimum of two professional references from the last year of employment:
- One Director or 2IC of formalised childcare as the primary reference
- One Room Leader, Educational Lead, Co-Educator as a secondary reference
How do we ensure that we meet the national standards of compliance?
After we have successfully completed reference checks, educators must provide all required documentation. This includes, but is not limited to:
- A current Working with Children Check (WWCC) or Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) registration and/or police check
- Early Childhood Qualification, Transcript or AQECQA equivalent
- Early Childhood Mandatory Reporting Certification
- First Aid and CPR Certification
- Food Handlers Certification
- Visa documentation (if applicable)
- 100 points of personal ID
Our Customer Care and Service team verifies the validity of the WWCC/VIT and conducts VEVO Visa checks as required.
We also use several sources to ensure that qualifications and their associated codes are valid and comply with Australian regulatory standards.
- ACECQA (Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority): ACECQA is responsible for overseeing the national quality framework for early childhood education and care in Australia. It ensures that qualifications for those working with children are valid and meet the required standards.
- ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority): ASQA is the national regulator for vocational education and training (VET). It ensures that training organisations and their courses comply with national standards, guaranteeing that qualifications issued by these institutions are of high quality and recognised.
- CRICOS (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students): CRICOS is a government register that ensures international students studying in Australia are enrolled in accredited institutions and programs. For an institution or course to be listed on CRICOS, it must meet specific criteria related to education quality and compliance with Australian laws.
By using these frameworks, we ensure that the qualifications we accept are compliant with Australian regulations, holding validity in the country’s education system. This also helps in verifying the suitability of candidates for positions within the Australian educational sector.
What does our interview process look like?
We only conduct interviews after completing the previous two steps.
The interview, which can take up to an hour, evaluates:
- Their ability to respond to children’s needs.
- Their approach to meeting the diverse needs of the services we support.
- Their knowledge of laws and regulations, EYLF (Early Years Learning Framework), and NQS (National Quality Standards).
- Their understanding of ratios, guiding behaviours, reportable conduct, and child safety standards.
- Their strengths and areas for additional support.
Our educators must achieve a combined reference score of at least 80% to complete their registration. This score is based on ratings across industry-specific criteria such as active supervision, staff rapport, punctuality, and reliability.
Did you know? We also offer an in house, bespoke Learning Management System for educators. After registration, we can recommend modules tailored to their development needs and even customise modules to support our clients.
Child safety standards and policies
Our consultants guide educators through ANZUK’s policies, which include:
- Child Safe Policy
- Reportable Conduct Scheme Policy
- Terms and Agreements
- ANZUK’s Expectations
- Code of Conduct
- Health and Safety Induction
- Right to Request Casual Conversion
Review process
At ANZUK, a dedicated team of senior leadership and child safety specialists regularly reviews child safety standards and policies. This team meets frequently to assess and implement updates as needed. Our agency leadership and child safety specialists are fully aware of all our obligations in the child safety space, with respect to Child Safe Standards, know how to (and are experienced in) conducting investigations, and we proactively cooperate with The Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP), the Department of Education and Police as required by legislation.
What happens after the educator is successfully employed with ANZUK?
How do we keep up to date with compliance?
Our systems are directly connected with both WWCC and VIT checking websites, automatically verifying an educator’s validity before they begin work each day. Any compromised validity immediately alerts our consultants.
Our system automatically restricts educators with expired Mandatory Reporting Certificates from working until they renew their certification. Our Customer Care team proactively tracks upcoming certificate expirations, notifying consultants and ensuring educators complete new documents before placement.
ELAA partnership
We prioritise compliance with legislative requirements across the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector, as well as state and federal laws.
ELAA has been instrumental in providing invaluable management advice and support, helping us remain informed and proactive in navigating regulatory developments.
At ANZUK, child safety is at the heart of our recruitment process. By implementing thorough screening, compliance verification, and continuous policy reviews, we ensure that every educator we work with meets the highest safety and professional standards.
For more information or interested in booking your shifts with us, visit our website HERE.
