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Employment Screening Project (Probity)

Anticipating the Ombudsman's focus in this area, NDS has commenced an ADHC funded project to support organisations to develop more robust approaches to probity in employment. NDS will develop a range of resources and roll out a state wide training program by mid 2011. Resources will include:

  • An additional chapter of It's Your Business Good Governance resource, see Good Governance webpage
  • Operational resources that support the application of various probity measures through out the recruitment and selection process

The resources will be available in June.

 

Current Opportunities  - State Wide Training Plan

The Probity in Employment workshops provides a robust framework for CEO's, Senior Managers and Board Members to use in managing their organisation's employment processes, with an emphasis on developing and maintaining appropriate probity standards. This is a best practice framework incorporating recommendations for the NSW Ombudsman and approved by ADHC. The workshop provides both theory and practical tools and resources.

Participants will gain an understanding of the key stages that exist in a successful employment process and an appreciation of what is required within each of these stages. Participants will be directed to relevant tools and resources and will gain an awareness of how these tools and resources help ensure probity within employment processes. Participants will be able to explore issues relating to the adaption and customisation of these tools and processes to the needs of their own organisation.

There are two sessions, one for CEOs, Senior Managers and / or HR Managers; and another shorter session for Voluntary Directors / Board Members.

Download the topic guide / course outline and dates / locations [Word 877KB]

Online registration is essential.  Please note, as places are limited, NDS requests that organisations nominate no more than two people to attend the manager sessions.

 

Background

The NSW Ombudsman tabled a special report to Parliament in December 2010 calling for a more consistent, efficient and rigorous approach to probity screening across all organisations funded through the NSW Department of Human Services (DHS) and Department of Health. The report specifically looks at probity checking within the context of formal and informal processes used by funded services to assess the integrity, character and honesty of prospective employees, board or management committee members and volunteers.

Motivated by community expectations about appropriate and robust probity screening practices in human service organisations, the NSW Ombudsman Bruce Barbour cited current practices as haphazard and ineffective, which is of particular concern given the vulnerability of the clients supported by such organisations.

The report poses eight recommendations. In seeking to achieve a more streamlined and robust probity checking system, the recommendations highlight the need for a strong partnership approach between government and the non-government sector - a position supported by NDS and already underway in the disability sector.

Conscious of the need to balance compliance with reducing burdensome red tape, the NSW Ombudsman's special report calls for:

  • The development and implementation of a more consistent probity checking system for organisations that are funded in the health and human services sectors;
  • The alignment and integration of any new probity checking system with current review processes taking place, such as the Working with Children Check;
  • The amendment of the Regulatory Housing Code of the Housing Regulation 2009 to empower the Registrar of Community Housing to introduce a probity checking system;
  • The tightening of the Community Services Regulation 2010 to better include all existing licensees, licensed managers and direct care staff of licensed boarding houses to be subject to criminal record checks;
  • The development of a business case by the NSW Department of Human Services and the Department of Health relating to the costs of developing and implementing consistent, efficient and rigorous probity checking systems.

The NSW Ombudsman has requested a response from Government by 31 March 2011.

NDS will continue to work closely with DHS - in particular Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) - and the sector to address the recommendations put forward by the NSW Ombudsman.

 

Contact:
Caron Rooks, NDS NSW Senior Projects Manager, Ph 02 9256 3173, caron.rooks@nds.org.au

A group of employees