Commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Table Tennis NZ recognises Te Tiriti o Waitangi as Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding document and is committed to upholding the mana of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the principles of Partnership, Protection and Participation.

Policy CS3: Safer Recruitment

Background

Safer recruitment is central to the safeguarding of children and young people. As part of our safeguarding culture, Table Tennis NZ and any organisation affiliated to Table Tennis NZ commits to ensuring all staff and volunteers who work with children and young people are safe and appropriate to work with children.

We want children, young people, parents, caregivers and whānau to feel protected and confident that our staff and volunteers have been safely recruited to the highest standard possible.

All possible steps must be taken to prevent unsuitable people from working with children and young people.

We commit to following the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014 for the recruitment of staff, officials and volunteers.

We commit to going beyond the legal requirements and make sure our volunteers are safely recruited to the same standards. We commit to this because Table Tennis NZ and the organisations affiliated to Table Tennis NZ recognise that all staff and volunteers are in positions of trust. This is our duty of care to children and young people.

We want the best outcomes for the children and young people that come to Table Tennis NZ and any organisation affiliated to Table Tennis NZ.

We want children and young people to be safe, flourish, and enjoy their sport, recreation, or activity.

Purpose

1. Outline our commitment to protect children and young people from harm, abuse and neglect by a staff member or volunteer of Table Tennis NZ and any organisation affiliated to Table Tennis NZ.
2. Reduce the opportunity for a perpetrator of abuse to offend against the children and young people of Table Tennis NZ and any organisation affiliated to Table Tennis NZ.
3. To guide the safer recruitment of staff and volunteers.

Application

This policy applies to all staff and volunteers who are employed or engaged by Table Tennis NZ and any organisation affiliated to Table Tennis NZ, whether or not they are paid. The processes of safer recruitment will be followed every time a staff member or volunteer is recruited. The ability to screen and safety check a volunteer can be more limited than an employee; however, our volunteers often perform similar duties to our employees and have equal access to children and young people. It is essential Table Tennis NZ and any organisation affiliated to Table Tennis NZ safely recruits volunteers using the same standards as we use for our employees, where possible.

Procedures for the Safer Recruitment of Employees and Volunteers

The following procedures must be followed when employing or engaging any person over the age of 18 years old at Table Tennis NZ or its affiliated Table Tennis organisations in;

• paid employment
• independent contractor
• as a volunteer.

There are two different standards of procedures to follow for employees and contractors, and volunteers.

Procedure 1: Safer recruitment of employees and contractors

The organisation will always follow these procedures consistently and will provide to the Table Tennis NZ’s Board of Directors or the Table Tennis NZ affiliated organisation’s officers, a completed checklist confirming safer recruitment of an employee, contractor or volunteer.

Advertising an employment or contracting position

Staff can be employed and engaged by:

• an advertisement in printed media
• an online advertisement
• word-of-mouth.

Any advertisement should clearly state Table Tennis NZ and its affiliated Table Tennis organisations are Child Safe Organisations, and that all candidates will be safety checked to Children’s Act 2014 standards and note the need for the successful applicant to undertake Police vetting and reference checks.

If an enquiry for a position is received verbally, Table Tennis NZ or its affiliated Table Tennis organisations will inform the person about the culture of child safety within Table Tennis NZ or its affiliated Table Tennis organisations and the safer recruitment process outlined in these procedures.

The fact a candidate is known personally to anyone associated with the recruitment process or management of the organisation does not reduce or remove the requirements under this policy.

Application forms and CVs

• A job description and key tasks for each position will be available, noting the role is working with children and young people.
• All candidates are required to complete a Table Tennis NZ or its affiliated Table Tennis organisations employment application form.
• A CV is required detailing full work history for at least the last five years – any gaps require a thorough investigation.
• Up-to-date details of relevant professional associations, licensing bodies, or registration bodies the candidate is accredited by, must be obtained.
• Details of two referees, including one recent previous employer, must be obtained.
• Referees must have known the candidate for at least 12 months and must not be related in any way or living in the same household.

Vetting and screening candidates

The process of vetting and screening candidates is to gather information to gain the best possible insight into the candidate. The process will result in a risk assessment of the person’s suitability for the role.

Qualifications

Qualifications will be verified for their legitimacy. If the original document or a certified copy is unavailable during the screening process, the organisation that issued the qualification or certification will be contacted to check the candidate’s claim. Any future formal offer made to a candidate will be conditional upon an original or verified copy of the qualification or certification being provided to Table Tennis NZ or its affiliated Table Tennis organisations.

Police vetting

Police vetting is a requirement for all candidates whether employed, contracted or volunteer. TTNZ will conduct the process for their own staff or volunteers. TTNZ will provide the vetting service for all affiliated associations to utilise and TTNZ will cover the cost for this service, unless the association conducts its own Police vetting. If a volunteer or staff member has been vetted by an association but not TTNZ, but is being engaged with TTNZ services, they will be required to undergo a full Police vetting check done by TTNZ directly.

Only candidates who agree to Police vetting can be considered for recruitment for any role whether paid or voluntary.

The role will be assessed by the manager to decide whether the employee would be a Core Worker or a Non-Core Children’s Worker, and the Police vetting application will be made on this basis. (A Core Worker means a children’s worker who works in a regulated service who works with children and may be the only person present; or has primary responsibility for, or authority over the child or children present.)

Appointed will not start until a Police vetting report has been returned, and all safety checks, including risk assessments, are completed. Table Tennis NZ or its affiliated Table Tennis organisations will not employ or engage anyone with a Schedule 2 Children’s Act offence.

If the Police vetting process reveals convictions other than Schedule 2 offences, the organisation will decide, based on the nature of the previous conviction, and the nature of the role, whether the candidate will pose a risk to a child and young person and therefore if they can be appointed.

Contacting any professional body the candidate is a member of

• obtain any relevant information about the candidate
• that may affect their application
• to confirm their identity and their current membership status.

Checking a candidate’s identity

Verifying the candidate’s identity must be completed before any unconditional offers are entered into.

A candidate’s identity will be verified by sighting:

• a Primary Identification document AND
• a Secondary Identification document.

One of these must be photo identification.

• RealMe identity-check.

If the name of the person is different from the identification they produce, the candidate must provide a supporting name change document, which confirms the current name change.

A list of relevant documents for checking identity can be found at legislation.govt.nz

Interviews

• All candidates should be interviewed face-to-face before being selected for a role that allows access to children or young people.
• At the interview, it should be stressed that the identity of the successful applicant will be checked, references sought, and a Police vet carried out to check for child related offences.
• A small panel of people will be involved in an interview allowing for multiple perspectives of a candidate.
• At least one of the panel will be Table Tennis NZ or its affiliated Table Tennis organisation Member Safeguarding Representative.
• Interview questions are designed to give information about the:
  • candidate themselves
  • candidate’s views on child safe practices
  • candidate’s attitudes and behaviours towards children and young people
  • candidate’s experience and interactions in working with children.

Example interview questions can be found in Appendix 6

Referees and references

• At least two referees will be contacted.
• Where it is not possible to immediately contact a referee by telephone, questions may be given to a referee to be answered in writing and then followed up by telephone.
• A search for information about candidates on the internet and social media can provide further insight and information that is publicly available. However, this should be treated with caution so as not to intrude on a person’s privacy unfairly or unreasonably base an employment or contracting decision on such grounds.

Example questions to ask referees is at Appendix 6

Evaluation, risk assessment, making a decision and records

Table Tennis NZ or its affiliated Table Tennis organisations will show commitment to equal opportunities in all aspects of employment and contracting, including recruitment.

• Procedures will be fair and free of any bias when screening candidates. The person most suited to the position in terms of skills, experience, qualifications, and ability will be selected.
• Table Tennis NZ or its affiliated Table Tennis organisations is committed to employing staff from a diverse range of backgrounds and experience.
• Analysis of the information gathered will be used to assess the risk the candidate would pose to the safety of children and young people if employed or engaged.
• The manager will sign a declaration confirming the candidate does not present a risk to a child or young person.
• This risk assessment is made based on the outcome of safer recruitment information.
• If any risk to children and young people is identified, the candidate will not be employed or engaged in any role.
• Records of the information obtained will be kept along with details of when it was gathered and the date when safety checks need to be carried out again (in three years).
• Unsuccessful candidate details will be disposed of securely after six months.
• No person will be employed or engaged until the full safer recruitment process has been completed, and the Police vet returned.
• Information about all applicants will be kept confidentially in a HR file.

Response to candidates

• All candidates will be notified by phone or letter of the outcome of the recruitment process.
• A written formal offer of employment will be given to the new employee along with an Individual Employment Agreement.
• Independent contractors will be offered a suitable written contract.

Periodic review

A review of safety checks will be carried out every three years and will include: 

1. A renewed Police vet.
2. Confirmation of any name change and relevant documents confirming this.
3. Contacting any professional body the employee is a member of to:
   • obtain any relevant information about the employee that may affect their current role
   • to confirm the identity and the current membership status.
4. A risk assessment.

Procedure 2: Safer recruitment of volunteers

Table Tennis NZ and its affiliated Table Tennis organisations have a commitment to keep all children and young people safe by safer recruitment of people in a Position of Trust, regardless of whether they are paid staff members or a volunteer.

The ability to screen and safety check a volunteer can be more limited than an employee; however, our volunteers often perform similar duties to our employees and have equal access to children and young people. It is essential Table Tennis NZ and its affiliated Table Tennis organisations safely engages volunteers by employing the same standards used for recruiting paid staff where possible.

Recruiting regular volunteers

Regular volunteers are usually engaged through word of-mouth. The same requirements apply, regardless of the fact potential volunteers may be known to people involved in the organisation.

If an advertisement is placed in a local paper or online, this will state that Table Tennis NZ and its affiliated Table Tennis organisations are Child Safe Organisations and that all volunteers will be required to be safety checked and Police vetted.

If a volunteer approaches the manager of Table Tennis NZ or its affiliated Table Tennis organisations offering ongoing support, they will be informed about the culture of child safety within Table Tennis NZ and its affiliated Table Tennis organisations and informed of the safe engagement process outlined in these procedures.

Completion of the volunteer screening form

All TTNZ regular volunteers will be required to complete a Volunteer Agreement, supplied upon engagement of volunteer.

TTNZ have created a guideline for our Regional Associations to create their own form: Appendix 3

Screening and Police vetting regular volunteers

• Police vetting is a requirement for all people in a Position of Trust in Table Tennis NZ and its affiliated Table Tennis organisations.
• Only volunteers who agree to Police vetting can be considered for engagement as a volunteer.
• Volunteering will not start until a Police vetting form has been returned.
• Table Tennis NZ and its affiliated Table Tennis organisations will not have as a volunteer anyone with a Schedule 2 Children’s Act offence.
• If the Police vetting process reveals convictions other than Schedule 2 offences, the organisation will decide, based on the nature of the previous conviction, and the nature of the role, whether the volunteer will not pose a risk to a child and young person and therefore can be engaged.

TTNZ will contact any professional body the volunteer is a member of in order to:

• obtain any relevant information about the volunteer that may affect their volunteer role
• to confirm their identity and their current membership status.

Checking a volunteer’s identity

Verifying the volunteer’s identity must be completed before any unconditional offers are entered into.

A regular volunteer’s identity will be verified by sighting:

• a Primary Identification document AND
• a Secondary Identification document.

One of these must be a photo identification.

TTNZ reserve the right to complete a RealMe identity-check.

If the name of the person is different from the identification they produce, the candidate must provide a supporting name change document, which confirms the current name change.

A list of relevant documents for checking identity can be found HERE

Referees and references

• At least two referees will be contacted.
• Where it is not possible immediately to contact a referee by telephone, questions may be given to a referee to be answered in writing and then followed up by telephone.
• A search for information about candidates on the internet and social media can provide further information that is publicly available. However, this should be treated with caution so as not to intrude on a person’s privacy unfairly or unreasonably base a recruitment decision on such grounds.

A list of questions to ask referees can be found at Appendix 6

Evaluation, risk assessment, making a decision and records

Table Tennis NZ or its affiliated Table Tennis organisations is committed to recruiting volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds and experience.

• Evaluation of the information gathered will be used to assess the risk the candidate would pose to the safety of children if engaged.
• The manager will sign a declaration confirming the volunteer does not present a risk to a child or young person. This risk assessment is formed based on the outcome of safer recruitment information. If any risk to children and young people is identified, the volunteer will not be engaged.
• Records of the information gathered will be kept along with details of when it was gathered and the date when safety checks need to be carried out again (1-3 years).
• No regular volunteer will be engaged until the full safe recruitment process has been completed, and Police Vet returned.

Refer Safer Recruitment Checklist Form CS05

Response to volunteer applicants

• All applicants will be notified by phone or email of the outcome of the recruitment process.
• Successful volunteer applicants will be given a written outline of the induction process and requirements.
• Information about all applicants will be kept confidentially.
• Unsuccessful applicant details will be disposed of securely after six months.

Periodic review

A review of safety checks should be carried out every 1-3 years and will include:

• A renewed Police Vet.
• Confirmation of any name change and relevant documents confirming this.
• Contacting any professional body the volunteer is a member of to:
  • obtain any relevant information about the volunteer that may affect their current role and
  • to confirm the identity and the current membership status.
• A risk assessment.

Version: November 2024

More TTNZ Policies