Visitor Policy

Sign in Procedure

All visitors to Our Lady Star of the Sea are required to report to the school office on arrival (see section 5.3 in relation to exceptions to parents, guardians and carers). 

Visitors must: 

• record their name, signature, date, time of visit, and purpose of visit via the online PASSTAB system or on the paper sign-in sheet
• produce evidence of their valid Working with Children Clearance where required under the Worker Screening Act 2020
• provide proof of identification to school staff upon request 
• comply with the School’s practice concerning identification (i.e. wear the provided name tag at all times when on the premises)
• follow instructions from school staff and abide by all relevant school policies relating to appropriate conduct on school grounds including but not limited to the Schools Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy, and Child Safety Code of Conduct. 
• return to the school office, upon departure, sign out 

 Parent, guardian, and carer visitors 

All parents, guardians, or carers who visit Our Lady Star of the Sea during school hours, other than for the purposes of school pick-ups and drop-offs, are required to sign in as a visitor at the school office. This includes but is not limited to, parent-teacher interviews, assemblies, and award ceremonies. 

Where it is determined by a principal that it is not practicable for large groups of parents, guardians, or carers to sign in as a visitor at the school office, principals are required to ensure that parents, guardians, or carers are informed of the School Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy, Child Safety Code of Conduct and behavioural expectations. This may be communicated in various ways, including but not limited to, newsletters, email, and parent communication platforms.

Working With Children Check

Working with Children Checks are legally required for child-related work.

If a person is engaging in child-related work, it is a legal requirement under the Worker Screening Act 2020 that they must, at a minimum, have a valid Working with Children Clearance unless an exemption applies (see below).

Child-related work is defined in the Worker Screening Act 2020 as work that:

• involves an adult working with children under 18 years old (both paid and unpaid work)
• usually involves direct contact with a child or children, including physical, face-to-face, written, oral, or electronic contact and
• the contact with the child or children is a usual part of the person’s duties and is not occasional direct contact which is incidental to their work.

An activity may be ‘child-related work’ regardless of whether the contact with a child is supervised by another person or not. 

This means that even if a volunteer or visitor is supervised by a teacher, they must still have (and provide evidence of) a current Working with Children Clearance if they are performing ‘child-related work’.

https://www.service.vic.gov.au/services/working-with-children