The Department of Human Services (DHS) has withdrawn a record number of screening checks for workers and volunteers it deemed posed risks to children, people living with disability or the elderly.
In a statement, the Department said its Screening Unit revoked 245 screening checks last financial year, double that of the previous year, following the introduction of a stricter threshold and compulsory protection checks for people working with children.
DHS said its Screening Unit processed almost 240,000 checks in 2020–21, required for people working with children and other vulnerable people, with the number of screenings revoked barely 0.1 per cent of those issued in a year.
“Nevertheless, these are the important ones that need to be removed from privileged positions of working with some of South Australia’s most vulnerable people so that we can build stronger safeguards,” the Department said.
It said it notified registered employers and volunteer-involving organisations immediately as bans were actioned throughout the year due to daily, real-time checks against justice systems.
It said real-time checks for people charged with drug, violence and sexual assault-related crimes allowed the Screening Unit to cross-check records with anyone already holding screening clearances to work with vulnerable people.
DHS said risky individuals – no longer able to work with vulnerable people – included cases where they had faced charges of causing serious harm; aggravated assault against a child or spouse; accessing pornography; drug trafficking; and dealing a controlled drug.
The Department said the majority of clearance types revoked were Working with Children Checks, which represented the majority of screening types processed through the Screening Unit.
