Ardoch's Screening Process

Ardoch Youth Foundation has a moral duty of care to ensure the safety and security of children and young people.

This duty includes taking all reasonable steps to prevent emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Ardoch Youth Foundation's intention is to maintain a safe environment for all participants including children, young people, staff and volunteers.

Ardoch Youth Foundation believes in the proactive empowerment of children/young people and is committed to the wellbeing and safety of all children/young people and families. Ardoch Youth Foundation advocates for the rights of the child/young person, ie. the right to be safe, the right to food and shelter, the right to education and the right to protection from all forms of abuse.

Ardoch's committment to the protection of children is at the core of our volunteer selection process and all applicants will be screened through the following processes:

Written application
Interview with Ardoch Staff
Referee Check of 2 referees
Police Check
Working with children check (in accordance with the Working with Children Act 2005)
Compulsary volunteer training allowing Ardoch staff to further ascertain the suitability of applicants

Alongside the Foundation's commitment to the wellbeing, safety and security of children and young people, Ardoch Youth Foundation is committed to educating children and young people in self-protection. As part of the school/centre-based early intervention and prevention programs, Ardoch Youth Foundation promotes the inclusion of Protective Behaviours programs.

Ardoch also encourages and trains staff and volunteers to focus on building the wellbeing and resilience of children and young people.

Ardoch Youth Foundation maintains that all applicants for paid and voluntary work involving actual or potential unsupervised access to children/young people are to be police checked and undergo a working with children check (in accordance with the Working with Children Act 2005) and are provided with written notification of the need for this prior to interview. This may be stated in the:

Job advertisement;
Position description; and/ or
Application form.

Ardoch Youth Foundation has a comprehensive Volunteer's Policy to ensure the organisation provides a safe environment for children and young people accessing our service. Ardoch Youth Foundation values the support, supervision and training of volunteers as a mechanism for both volunteer development and as a tool to protect children and young people. The following procedures pertain to volunteer recruitment, support, supervision and training.

Ardoch Youth Foundation:

Provides prospective volunteers with an Application Form which requests the names of 2 referees, includes Ardoch's screening processes and commitment to the protection of children and young people and enables applicants to self-select.
Selects applicants who are willing to participate in screening mechanisms.
Utilises the interview process to understand volunteer motivations and inform the prospective volunteer about Ardoch's activities, volunteer opportunities, screening mechanisms and compulsory volunteer training sessions.
Gives applicants, upon completion of the interview, a copy of the Volunteer Policy Booklet, incorporating the Youth Safeguard Policy.
Requests applicants provide permission for a Police Check, and complete and sign a Volunteer Placement Contract. The volunteer contract includes a clause acknowledging having read, understood and agreed to abide by the Youth Safeguard Policy.
Requests applicants individually undertake a Working with Children Check prior to training.
Screens applicants by contacting referees, processing the Police Check and requiring satisfactory participation at Volunteers Training.
Trains volunteers on the Youth Safeguard Policy including appropriate conduct and provides experiential learning opportunities on understanding, recognising and responding to abuse and neglect. Volunteers also have the opportunity to participate in additional workshops and training to increase the wellbeing and protection of children and young people.
Displays the Volunteer Policy including the Youth Safeguard Policy at the site at which volunteers work.
Evaluates the volunteer experience regularly.

Click here to access the Ardoch Youth Safeguard Policy.