A criminal background check is provided by Australian accredited agencies listing an individual’s disclosable history. You may be asked to provide an employer or a volunteer organisation with a copy of your criminal background check as part of your onboarding procedure. These checks are sometimes referred to as a national police certificate, (which is issued directly through the police only) or a national police clearance as the results of a criminal background check can often be used to “clear” you for work in some organisations including government departments and for working with vulnerable people or with vulnerable information.
If you are intending to seek work in the security industry, for example, then you may need to provide your employer with a personal criminal background check. If you are intending to volunteer with the Rural Fire Service (RFS) then you may be asked to provide a criminal background check before you join.
Obtaining a criminal record check can be done one of two ways: you can submit your application in person, or you can lodge the form online with the registered provider Checked Australia. Checked can offer you an express processing option that puts your Australian police check application at the head of the queue.
Is there a fast-tracked and express option for a national criminal history check? Yes - in 70% of cases, we can get the check back within as little as 1 business hour.
Can I complete my criminal background application online? Yes.
If you have been asked to get a criminal record check and to provide a certificate of your results as part of your clearance to join a volunteering association, as part of your employment conditions, or in any other capacity, you can opt for a fast-tracked express option with Checked. When you choose to lodge your application for a police check with Checked, you are choosing an entirely online and streamlined alternative to the traditional paper-based forms which can take weeks to process and be returned to you. Our process ensures that you receive an electronic copy of your check as soon as possible and a mailed copy posted to you if selected.
Our express option not only ensures that you can complete your entire form online, but it can also see your individual results returned to you in as little as one hour. That’s an accredited police clearance check obtained entirely online.
If you have opted for our express criminal background check and your results are not received within the indicated timeframe, then this may indicate that a manual review of your information must be completed before release. Unfortunately, we have no control over which certificates will be reviewed, so if your express national police check is flagged and delayed, then Checked will refund you the express fee. A manual review can take between 1-15 business days.
How can I check an employee’s criminal background?
As an employer, you can request that a potential or current employee provide your organisation with a criminal background check with their permission. This is called ‘informed consent’. To obtain a police check from an employee, they must be aware that you intend to check if they have a criminal background and provide you with the relevant information needed for a certified police check. Our extensive range of background checks ensure that we can screen an employees’ background. For more information about the types of background checks we offer, please see further down.
If you are among the companies that do request police checks from their employees, then we can offer your business a streamlined corporate service which saves administration time. For example, we offer integrations with many of the leading HR and ATS platforms so there’s less time wasted on duplicate data entry.
Our express checking process can deliver results in as little as one hour. It should be noted, however, that 70% of applications are returned within the express timeframe, however there are instances in which this is not possible. If the certificate is flagged by the government for further review a delay is required to allocate a potential match. This can occur in 30% of cases when there is a partial or whole match with an individual’s details in the criminal history database. We have no way of knowing whether a criminal background check will be flagged before lodgement but if this occurs then we will refund the express fee. Manual reviews will generally take anywhere between 1 to 15 business days to be completed and the certificate is then released after that.
We help your organisation avoid the hassle of dealing with paper-based forms or following up with candidates to ensure they are completing and forwarding on the results of their checks. We understand how important it is to create efficient processes for everyone in your organisation and we’re meticulous in working with you to design solutions which help you achieve your goals seamlessly. We can help you to maintain your compliance and mitigate your employment risk with a range of corporate checks including:
National Police Checks
Right to Work Checks
Bankruptcy Checks
International Police Checks
Driving History Checks
AML/CTF Checks
Identity Verification
Employee Reference Checks
For more information about our corporate background checking services and packages, contact one of our team today or access our online form and a team member will be in touch within business hours.
How much does it cost for a criminal background check?
Obtaining a standard national criminal background check from Checked differs in price to a police check for use with a volunteering organisation. Please note that a volunteer criminal background check is different to the one required for employment purposes. If you choose the wrong form, then you will need to reapply and purchase a new application under the correct category. If you are unsure which form you should be using, contact the organisation which has requested the check and confirm with them what type of application you must submit.
We are a government accredited provider able to offer our applicants an express service to put your application ahead of the queue. Our express service fee is payable on top of the application cost.
We offer our individual and corporate clients a fast, reliable and streamlined application process for obtaining criminal background checks. Start your application online today and receive your clearance certificate in as little as one hour.