Police Vetting Requirements

Vetting Under the Children's Act 2014

In New Zealand, all organizations providing early childhood education services must safety-check their staff. This is a key requirement of the Children's Act 2014 (formerly Vulnerable Children Act 2014) and is designed to protect children from harm.

1. Who Must be Vetted?

Police vetting is required for:

• Children's Workers: Any staff member whose work involves regular, unsupervised contact with children.
• Core Workers: Staff who work alone with children or have primary responsibility for them.
• Non-core Workers: Staff who work with children but are always supervised by a core worker.
• Contractors & Volunteers: Regular visitors, regular student teachers, and volunteers who meet unsupervised criteria.

2. Safety Checking Cycle

A full safety check must be completed before an employee starts working at the center. Subsequently, the police vet must be refreshed at least once every 3 years to remain compliant with licensing conditions.

3. Components of a Full Safety Check

A police vet is only one part of the required safety check. A full safety check includes:

• Identity verification (confirming photo ID documents).
• Work history check (assessing continuous CV files).
• Reference check (checking referee details).
• Interview to assess suitability.
• A current police vet (NZ Police Vetting Service).

4. Audit-Ready Vetting Logs

Centers must maintain a secure, comprehensive vetting log for audits. Sproutly records the vet status, the date the vet was completed, and the expiry date for all ECE staff. It provides automatic dashboard alerts weeks before a staff member's vetting is due to expire.

Official Police Vetting Resources

For information about registration, application guidelines, and Children's Act compliance, visit the NZ Police site: