Description
Attend and earn 1 PLD hour
Attend and earn 1 CPD hour
* This interactive online recording includes questions and quizzes requiring critical thinking about the topics, so you have no annual limits to the number of points/hours you can claim with this format of learning. Please verify with your CPD rules
Chair
Denise Johnson, Principal, Hutt Valley High School
Pre-employment Checks for Schools: Identification Checks, Criminal Records and Employment Law
- Understanding what information you have to request, what you can request, and what you should stay away from
- Privacy Act and Human Rights Act implications
- Immigration status, criminal records, credit checks and references
- Practising certificates
- Conditional offers and what to do if you don’t like the results
Presented by Blair Scotland, Partner, Dundas Street Employment Lawyers
Learning Objectives:
- Understand legal obligations and limitations when conducting pre-employment checks in schools
- Identify the risks associated with privacy, discrimination, and improper vetting practices
- Apply best practices for conditional offers, practicing certificate checks, and reference screening
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Understand the police vetting process and its application in school settings
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Identify legal and procedural requirements for interpreting and acting on vetting results
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Gain clarity on best practices and responsibilities for school leaders and boards in managing vetting outcomes
Police Vetting Unpacked: Q&A with New Zealand Police
Unpack the intricacies of police vetting processes in your school. This interactive discussion offers a comprehensive overview of the standards, challenges, and innovations shaping vetting protocols. Gain clarity on best practices and pose your questions to our expert panel, ensuring you leave with actionable insights and a robust understanding of this critical aspect of police enforcement.
Facilitator:
Denise Johnson, Principal, Hutt Valley High School
Panellists:
Rachel Dewhurst, Manager – Police Vetting & Information Request Services, New Zealand Police
Blair Scotland, Partner, Dundas Street Employment Lawyers
Presenters
Denise Johnson, Principal, Hutt Valley High School
Denise Johnson is the principal of Hutt Valley High School, a large co-educational secondary school with a roll of 1730 students. Denise started her teaching career in Southland at Menzies College. She then taught for 3 years at various schools in London before returning to New Zealand in 1990. Denise was a Deputy Principal at Wellington Girls’ College and Wellington High School before joining the leadership team at HVHS as an Associate Principal in 2012. She co-led the school with the late Ross Sinclair for 8 years. Denise is a trustee and founding member of the Wellington Loop. She is interested in the transformative power of collaboration between educators and schools in order to build teacher capability and to develop innovative thinking and practice.
Blair Scotland, Partner, Dundas Street Employment Lawyers
Blair Scotland has over 20 years' experience advising both public and private sector clients on employment matters. He has worked in-house and externally and his clients appreciate his legal know-how combined with his pragmatism that only someone who has worked as an in-house employment relations specialist can provide. Blair has an LLM (Hons) and a BA (Criminology) from Victoria University. He was admitted to the Bar in 1997 and joined the public service, firstly with the Department of Internal Affairs and then the Ministry of Social Development. He then moved to Telecom New Zealand Limited in an employment law role, and subsequently worked as a Senior Associate in the legal team of what is now Business Central (formerly EMA Central) for six years. Most recently, he was a Principal at Chen Palmer before setting up Dundas Street Employment Lawyers with Susan Hornsby-Geluk.
Rachel Dewhurst, Manager – Police Vetting & Information Request Services, New Zealand Police
Rachel is a Manager in the Police Vetting Service at NZ Police, bringing extensive experience from her previous role as a Senior Recruitment Advisor. With a strong background in law enforcement and recruitment, she is dedicated to ensuring rigorous vetting processes that uphold public safety and trust.
