Information for University Staff

As a valued member of staff here at Western, we provide you with the following information to support you in your role.

Running Events/Bringing Students onto Campus

Many different areas of the University run events for school students throughout our campuses and/or invite school students to take part in events with a wider audience. While the nature of these events varies, all of them must comply with legal requirements and University policies. This protocol was approved by the Western Sydney University Executive in April 2015. 

Staff login is required for the following information

Working with Children Policy

The NSW Child Protection (Working With Children) Act 2012 and associated regulations were phased in over a number of years and took full effect in the school sector from 2017. In addition, the Child Protection (Working with Children) Amendment (Statutory Review) Act 2018 also came into effect also.

All staff and university students whose roles involve working with minors need to have a current working-with-children clearance (an exception is staff who deliver a one-off talk with other adults present – these staff do not need a clearance). Requests for a clearance can be submitted online via kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au/child-safe-organisations/working-with-children-check and require a visit to a Service NSW office to show ID. Checks cost $80 but are free for volunteers. Processing can take several weeks so plan in advance if checks need to be done. Once clearance numbers are received, they should be sent to HR for verification before starting work. Clearances last five years (unless an offence is committed during that time). Remember, regardless of clearances, no adult should be alone with a child. This protects both parties. All events should be well-supervised with generally more than one adult present with each group of children at any given time.

For further information, please see our Working with Children page.

Permission Notes

Permission Notes are required whenever photographs or video are to be taken. For all other events, permission notes are optional for participation.
While schools will prepare their own permission notes, it is useful to do a Western Sydney University one as it can cover photographs/video/social media and information on special dietary requirements (if catering is involved). It may be appropriate to ask for student/parent contact details as well. A new photography permission note was developed by Legal in August 2018. Contact Schools Engagement:

Email: westernengagement@westernsydney.edu.au
Phone: 1300 854 224

For ongoing programs, it is usual to ask parents/guardians to sign off on program participation as a whole – this obviates the need for a new University permission form for each event (although schools may need to do their own new ones each time). It may be a good idea to specify where permission will cover activities that could be of concern - e.g. use of low voltage electricity in Engineering workshops.
 

Risk Assessments

As part of our mission to keep everyone safe while on campus, Risk Assessment forms may be requested. Use the standard Western Sydney University template. Schools may request a copy of risk assessment. Specialised assessments (e.g. laboratories) need to be done separately by the academics/technical staff running activities there. Download a Risk Assessment Sample

If schools request a copy of the University’s Liability Insurance Certificate of Currency this can be obtained from Finance. Bus companies and partner organisations can be asked to provide their own risk assessments and liability insurance certificates of currency also.

For Western Sydney University insurance information, contact the Tax and Insurance area of Finance:

Leah Dincog, Accountant - Tax and Insurance
Email: l.dincog@westernsydney.edu.au
Phone: 02 4570 1217

All Western Sydney University Security and School Teachers have first aid training.

Creating a Compass Objective for Academic and Professional Speakers in Schools Program

For academic and professional staff who have participated in the APSS program. Staff may add the engagement activities to their Compass work objectives using a ready-made objective aligned to Securing Success 2015 - 2020 Strategic Plan.

Download our guide Creating a Compass Objective for the Academic and Professional Speakers in Schools Program for step by step instructions (staff login required). 

Contact Schools Engagement