Helping out at school is a great way to get involved in your child’s education as well as get to know the staff and other parents and carers.
Research shows that children benefit when their parents or carers are actively involved in their education and school life.
You can help by:
- listening to children read in the classroom
- volunteering on sports days
- helping supervise excursions
- getting involved in fundraising activities
- joining school committees.
The Working With Children Check
Volunteers play a tremendously important role within the school community and for many years, Singleton Heights Public School has been well served by dedicated and hardworking volunteers. Recent changes to NSW legislation have required schools to make changes to the way volunteers are registered. Previously, volunteers would sign a prohibited employment declaration stating that there was no legal reason why they could not work with children. However, the current procedure means that individuals will not be able to volunteer at the school unless they have completed the new Working With Children Check. If you think there is a possibility you may wish to volunteer at some point during the next 5 years (as a parent helper, sports carnival assistant, canteen helper, or in any other capacity) please take the time to complete the new Check. The Check is also portable and can be used for any other child-related volunteer work (or sporting club) in NSW.
The new procedure:
Step 1 Complete the online application
- Access the form at Service NSW (forms are also available at your local Service NSW branch)
- Apply for your check (takes about 5 minutes)
Step 2 Go to your local Service NSW branch
- Take along your completed form and nominated identification [100 points]
- Registration as a volunteer is free
- You will be provided with a registration number (this normally takes a couple of days, but may take a couple of weeks)
Step 3 Bring your registration number and date of birth to the school office
- Your registration will be valid for 5 years
- Registered volunteers will be provided with a numbered lanyard when they come to school.
The new procedure is more consistent with other state and territory checks and includes a national police check and a review of findings for misconduct. Having good child-safe policies and practices is an important part of maintaining a safe environment for children.
Thank you for your support in this matter. If you have any concerns, or need assistance, please contact the school office.