Case Study: Office of the Children's Guardian

Background

The Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) is a NSW government agency that oversees organisations that provide services to children in NSW. The OCG is responsible for providing Working With Childrens Checks (WWCC) and organisational oversight which includes the Reportable Conduct Scheme, Child Safe Scheme and overseeing accreditation and child-safe practices in voluntary and statutory out-of-home care, children’s employment, and other child-related organisations.

The Challenge

Due to a surge in demand for Working With Children Check applications requiring further risk assessments, the OCG received funding for an additional five Risk Assessment Officers to join the department on a contract basis. 

The OCG sought a specialist recruitment partner capable of swiftly sourcing candidates with the required skills to handle complex assessments autonomously and manage multiple tasks efficiently under tight timeframes. These roles demanded a broad skill set, including advanced risk assessment capabilities and the ability to work independently at a high standard.

The abrs Advantage

abrs stood out as the ideal recruitment partner due to our mission-driven approach and deep sector expertise.

Rapid Response: Within a week of being contacted, abrs consultants effectively identified the role requirements through a comprehensive briefing session with the OCG. This session, aligning with our Recruitment Inception process, involved validating the position description, key competencies, remuneration, and employee benefits. We explored the values, and vision, and assessed the organisational opportunities and challenges impacting the position. This thorough understanding enabled us to provide a long-list of potential candidates tailored to the OCG’s specific needs.

Comprehensive Screening: Given the need to ensure a high calibre of candidates, a written assessment was integrated into the recruitment process as a crucial step before interviews. This assessment had already been established as part of the OCG internal procedures to evaluate candidates thoroughly. Our team efficiently managed the candidate communication, ensuring all assessments were completed and returned, allowing for timely candidate evaluations by the hiring manager prior to the interview stage.

The Results

abrs filled four out of five positions within three weeks of being contacted by the OCG, with the fifth position filled shortly thereafter.

All net revenue generated from this recruitment project was directed to programs that support children, youth, and families across NSW and the ACT.