❓ A WA parliamentary question seeks details on a Department's review of online advertisements for child-related services, specifically regarding Working with Children Check compliance. The answer provides a breakdown of reasons for advertisement removals and referrals for further investigation.
AnsweredQoN 3339Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to “Kids safety blitz is on the cards” in The West Australian on 12 October 2020, referring to the Department examining 230 advertisements placed by self-employed people in child-related work, taking action on some, and I ask: (a) for what range of reasons were 52 of the advertisements removed; (b) for what range of reasons were 32 of the people referred to the Department’s compliance team for further investigation; (c) of the 52: (i) how many had a negative notice; (ii) how many had an interim negative notice; and (iii) how many did not have either a valid Working with Children Check (WWCC) or an application in progress; (d) of the 32: (i) how many had a negative notice; (ii) how many had an interim negative notice; and (iii) how many did not have either a valid WWCC or an application in progress; and (e) what action is being taken about the 59 advertisements which were unable to be checked for compliance, and remained online?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
25 November 2020
Responded by
Leader of the House representing the Minister for Child Protection
Response time
12 days
a) 5 had expired WWC cards, however, re-applied once contacted by the Working with Children Screening Unit (WWCSU). 22 responded to the Department’s correspondence advising that they were no longer offering their advertised services as they were now working in other employment that did not require a WWC Check or had moved interstate. 25 did not have identifiers and could not be contacted directly by telephone or email during the initial sweep. A follow up search to see if there were any updates to their advertisements revealed that these had subsequently been removed.
b) These referrals occurred after there was no response to initial correspondence by the WWCSU or were unable to be contacted directly by the WWCSU’s Community Engagement Team. Many of these individuals continued to advertise their services online, without making an application for a WWC Check after being advised of the requirement.
c)
d) Of the 32:
The Department of Communities has launched a targeted online advertising campaign which includes adverts on Gumtree and Facebook, where people often advertise services such as child-minding and tutoring. The campaign aims to raise awareness and educate self-employed people about the requirement for a WWC Check. Additionally, Communities continues to monitor individuals advertising on Gumtree. Where compliance work identifies individuals, further direct compliance action is undertaken.
b) These referrals occurred after there was no response to initial correspondence by the WWCSU or were unable to be contacted directly by the WWCSU’s Community Engagement Team. Many of these individuals continued to advertise their services online, without making an application for a WWC Check after being advised of the requirement.
c)
d) Of the 32:
The Department of Communities has launched a targeted online advertising campaign which includes adverts on Gumtree and Facebook, where people often advertise services such as child-minding and tutoring. The campaign aims to raise awareness and educate self-employed people about the requirement for a WWC Check. Additionally, Communities continues to monitor individuals advertising on Gumtree. Where compliance work identifies individuals, further direct compliance action is undertaken.
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