What “police-checked cleaner” actually means

What a National Police Check is

A National Police Check, formally a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check, is a search of police records across every Australian state and territory. It is issued through the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the bodies it accredits, or through a state or territory police agency. The applicant proves their identity, consents to the check and receives a certificate.

What it shows, and what it does not

• It shows disclosable court outcomes, such as convictions and findings of guilt, and pending charges, subject to the spent-conviction laws of each state.
• It does not show matters that have become “spent” under those laws, and it does not include records from overseas.
• It is a point-in-time check: it covers up to the day it was issued and nothing after.
• It is not a Working With Children Check. That is a separate, state-based clearance for child-related work, with ongoing monitoring.
• It is not a character reference, and it cannot predict future behaviour.

How Ousie uses police checks

• Every cleaner provides a current National Police Check before they can see or apply for jobs.
• Ousie reviews each check before approving the cleaner.
• Cleaners also verify their identity and accept Ousie’s contractor terms before they are approved.

A police check is a baseline, not a substitute for judgement. It tells you that a person had no disclosable record at the time the check was issued, and that they were willing to prove who they are.

The other things that keep a booking safe

• You choose the cleaner. Cleaners apply for your job, and you compare their profiles and ratings from past Ousie cleans before you pick one.
• Messages stay in the app, so there is a record of what was agreed.
• You pay after the clean, by card through the app or in cash if that is what you chose.
• You rate each clean, and those ratings are what the next customer sees.
• If a booking is not working out, contact Ousie and we reopen it so other cleaners can apply.

If something is not right

Raise it in the app first so there is a record, then contact Ousie if it is not resolved. In an emergency, call 000.