National Police Check Consent Form Template (Australia)

Updated on 9 August 2026

A general pre-employment background check in Australia usually means a National Police Check — a check of a person's criminal history conducted through the National Police Checking Service (NPCS), run by accredited bodies on behalf of CrimTrac/the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. That's a different process from the US FCRA/consumer-reporting-agency model or the UK's DBS scheme, and it's also a different check from a Working with Children Check (WWCC), which is a separate, state-based scheme specifically for regulated child-related work.

This template is a consent and application-support form built around the National Police Check: it records the purpose of the check, confirms whether a WWCC is also needed for the specific role, collects the identifying information the application actually requires, and gives the applicant a Privacy Act 1988-consistent notice.

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Date

National Police Check Consent Form

Organisation:
Role:
Purpose:
Check type requested:

Applicant identification

Full legal name:
Previous names:
Date of birth:
Current address:

Consent

I understand that a will be requested using the information I have provided above, and I consent to this check being carried out for the purpose stated.

Data notice

will use the result of this check only for the purpose stated above, will retain it for , and will handle it as sensitive information under the Privacy Act 1988.

Applicant

Date:

Know the difference between a police check and a WWCC

A National Police Check discloses relevant criminal history and is used broadly across employment, volunteering, and licensing purposes. A Working with Children Check is a separate, state-based scheme specifically for people working in regulated child-related roles — it isn't simply a stricter version of a police check, and holding one doesn't substitute for the other. This template makes clear which check is being requested, and flags when a role might also need a WWCC rather than a police check alone.

State the purpose clearly

A National Police Check application needs a stated purpose — employment, volunteering, licensing, or another specific reason — since the information disclosed and the assessment of relevance can depend on it. A vague or unstated purpose makes it harder for both the applicant and the organisation to know what the check is actually for.

Keep the consent genuinely informed

The applicant should understand what's being checked, why, and how the result will be used and retained, rather than signing a generic consent that doesn't distinguish a police check from a WWCC or explain what the organisation will do with a disclosed result.

Give a Privacy Act notice

Criminal record information is sensitive information under the Privacy Act 1988, attracting a higher standard of protection than routine personal information. A short notice on the form covering the purpose of collection, how the result will be used and retained, and who will see it is both good practice and consistent with Australian Privacy Principle 3's higher bar for collecting sensitive information.

Limit who sees the result

A police check result should circulate only to the people who genuinely need it for the hiring or engagement decision, not the wider team. Restricting access, and storing the result securely rather than in a shared, general-access folder, reduces both the privacy risk and the chance of the information being used for a purpose it wasn't collected for.

Know what happens if the data is compromised

Sensitive information like a criminal record check result is exactly the kind of data the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme is built around: for organisations the Privacy Act covers, if a breach is likely to result in serious harm to the individual, the organisation generally has to notify both the affected person and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Coverage depends on factors including annual turnover, so a small business should confirm whether it's covered — but treating check results as data worth protecting is good practice either way.

Section-by-section guide

Purpose of check: States why the check is being requested — employment, volunteering, licensing, or another specific purpose.
Check type: Confirms whether a National Police Check, a Working with Children Check, or both are being requested.
Applicant identification: Collects the identifying information the application requires.
Consent: The applicant's informed consent to the specific check requested.
Data notice: States how the result will be used, retained and disposed of, consistent with the Privacy Act 1988.

Australian compliance notes

Confirm which specific check your role requires before relying on this form.

Confirm whether the role needs a WWCC instead of, or as well as, a police check
Regulated child-related work generally requires a state-based Working with Children Check, which is a separate scheme from a National Police Check and assesses different information.
Raising Children Network — Working with children checks
Treat criminal record information as sensitive information
Sensitive information under the Privacy Act 1988 attracts stronger collection and handling requirements than routine personal information.
Give the applicant a fair opportunity to respond
Before acting on a disclosed criminal record, give the applicant an opportunity to provide context or explanation relevant to the specific role, rather than acting on the disclosure alone.

How to complete the form

State the purpose. Record why the check is being requested.
Choose the check type. Confirm whether a National Police Check, WWCC, or both are needed for the role.
Collect identifying information. Add the applicant's name, previous names, date of birth and address.
Obtain signed consent. Have the applicant sign to consent to the specific check being requested.

Frequently asked questions

Is a National Police Check the same as a Working with Children Check?

No. A National Police Check is a general criminal-history check used broadly across employment and other purposes. A Working with Children Check is a separate, state-based scheme specifically for regulated child-related work, and assesses different information.

Can I use a National Police Check instead of a WWCC for a role working with children?

Generally not — if the role is regulated child-related work, the specific state WWCC is what's legally required, not a general police check on its own.

How is criminal record information treated under Australian privacy law?

It's sensitive information under the Privacy Act 1988, which attracts stronger collection and handling protections than routine personal information.

What should we do if a check reveals a criminal record?

Give the applicant a fair opportunity to provide context or explanation relevant to the specific role before making a final decision, rather than acting on the disclosure alone.

Do we need a new check for every role, or can we reuse an old one?

Treat each role and purpose as needing its own current check rather than relying on an old result, since a check reflects a person's record at the time it was conducted.

What happens if a check result is accidentally disclosed to the wrong person?

For organisations covered by the Privacy Act, this can be an eligible data breach under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme if it's likely to cause serious harm, triggering a duty to notify the affected person and the OAIC. Limiting access to check results in the first place is the best way to avoid this.

Do volunteers need the same checks as paid employees?

Often yes for the same role type — a WWCC requirement, for instance, generally turns on whether the work is regulated child-related work, not on whether the person is paid or volunteering.

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Disclaimer

This template and guide are for general information only. They are not legal advice, and no lawyer or accrediting body has reviewed or approved them. National Police Check and Working with Children Check requirements vary by role and state; confirm the current rules directly before relying on this document.