All providers of primary maternity services must have submitted a safety check to the Ministry of Health to claim for services.
Primary Maternity Services Providers are considered core children’s workers under the Children’s Act 2014 (previously titled the Vulnerable Children Act 2014) and need to be safety checked.
The core children’s worker safety check must meet the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014, and the Children’s (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015, which are together referred to as ‘the Children’s legislation’.
In order to claim for primary maternity services under the Primary Maternity Services Notice 2007 (the Notice) providers need to have provided information about a safety check to the Ministry of Health.
All providers need to submit evidence of having completed a safety check that complies with the Children’s legislation as part of the process to be approved for authorisation to claim under ‘the Notice’.
Components of a safety check for providers applying for an authorisation to claim
If you are applying for a new or first time authorisation to claim under the Notice and you haven’t completed a core children's worker safety check in the past 3 years, you will need to be safety checked as a new core children’s worker.
Checks for new core children’s worker
- ID Verification
- Police Vetting
- Employment or Personal References
- Employment History
- Interviews with the Applicant
- Professional Membership Check (registration and annual practising certificate)
- Final Assessment
If you have been safety checked within the past 3 years, you can be checked as an existing worker.
Checks for existing core children’s worker
- ID Verification
- Police Vetting
- Professional Membership Check (registration and annual practising certificate)
- Final Assessment
Renewing a safety check
Just like annual practicing certificates, safety checks need to be renewed and evidence of this supplied to the Ministry. This is of most immediate relevance to core children’s workers whose safety checks are coming up for renewal in 2019. It is recommended that primary maternity providers act promptly to renew their safety checks.
Safety checks are valid for three years from the date of issue. When you submit evidence of a safety check your authorisation to claim for primary maternity services is end-dated at the date of expiry of your safety check. This means you will not be able to provide, or claim for, primary maternity services after the date of expiry of your safety check, unless you provide evidence to the Ministry of Health of a renewed safety check with an issue date on or before the date of expiry of your existing safety check.
Renewing a safety check requires the same checks as for an existing core children’s worker. CVCheck can complete the check for you or the safety check done by an employer can be submitted as evidence of a renewed safety check (as long as it is a safety check for a core children’s worker). Get your employer to complete the Employer Verification Form, then you can submit this form to the Ministry. Note that the CV Check process takes at least 5 weeks from when you provide them with the required information.
The Ministry will send out a renewal reminder. It is expected that evidence of safety check renewals will be submitted to the Ministry on a timely basis. To ensure you receive your reminder please keep the Ministry up to date with any change to your contact details.
If you have any queries, or have changed your contact details please contact 0800 855 066 option 2 or email [email protected]
How to get a safety check
There are two main ways of being safety checked:
If you are self employed: There is a service offered by CVCheck. The CVCheck service is an online service and there is a cost to be safety checked. The CVCheck brochure (PDF, 356 KB) outlines costs and the information you need to provide.
In the CVCheck brochure you will also find links to their website relevant to the type of safety check you need.
If you are a newly graduated midwife and require a safety check, see Safety checking for newly qualified midwives (PDF, 266 KB).
A safety check will take a minimum of 5 weeks from the time of application until you receive your assessment.
If you have any issues with the process of safety checking through CVCheck or need support to navigate their website, please ring the CVCheck help line (0800 282 432).
CVCheck’s services are also available to other organisations that require safety checking of their staff.
If you are an employer or have been safety checked by an employer: A safety check completed by an employer at another organisation or practice can be used to claim under the Notice, as long as the safety check was completed within the preceding three years and was a safety check appropriate for a core children’s worker.
If you want to make use of a safety check done by an employer then your employer needs to complete the Employer Verification Form on your behalf. You can download this form from Maternity claims on Te Whatu Ora’s website.
For newly graduated midwives, if you have had a safety check as a new core children's worker as part of your training placement, this can be used as for the purposes of claiming under the Notice. Have the organisation that safety checked you fill out an EVF which you can then send in to the Ministry.
Where do you send evidence of a safety check?
Once you have had a safety check, it is essential that you inform the Ministry, so it can be recorded against your authorisation to claim. Send your CV check assessment or completed Employer Verification Form to the Ministry at [email protected], or fax to 03 474 8582, or post to Primary Care, Private Bag 1942 Dunedin 9054. Please do not include documents such as police vetting reports and identity verification.
If you need to check whether a safety check has been recorded against your authorisation to claim, please contact 0800 855 066 option 2.
Police vetting and Children’s legislation
Police vetting is only part of the requirement for a safety check. A police vet under Children’s legislation opens up the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004 for certain offences and includes an assessment which is specific to vulnerable children. This is different to a pre-employment police check.
For further information on safety checking for primary maternity service providers please visit the Oranga Tamariki website or call 0800 855 066 option 2.