Next generation child safety checks with Oho cloud-based monitoring

Oho is a cloud-based online verification tool aimed at meeting the growing need for continuous monitoring of workers and volunteers responsible for vulnerable people.

When an old colleague came to former World Vision CEO Claire Rogers with a cloud-based data system to continually manage and monitor child safety checks, she knew it represented the next step in her career. 

“Speaking to them, as a mother, I was a bit shocked that organisations were not following protocols properly with working for children checks,” she explained. “The platform enabled continuous monitoring, regarding different systems, and not just the working with children check.”

Rogers said up to 90 per cent of Australian businesses are failing to ensure their workforce is free of sex offenders, criminals and those who have committed professional misconduct.

Oho is an online digital protection application for organisations that require working with children checks and Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) checks among others. 

They will shortly add NDIS checks to the list of verifications available.

The Oho chief executive and co-founder said in The Australian when a business signs up to its platform, it detects “fail rates” of 30 to 90 per cent of those who haven’t maintained valid checks.

She said the origins of the platform were started by way of a conversation with an old colleague.

“How it came about was quite serendipitous as I had worked with one of the co-founders during my time in finance at ANZ. Cameron Bedford, who is now also the chief technology officer, has always provided really good technology solutions. He showed me the initial model,” she said.

“We needed national coverage as at the time they just had a few states, so we achieved that and then we rebranded to Oho.”

The name Oho is inspired by the Eurasian eagle-owl, which can “see in the dark, see long range but also swap to microscopic range when needed,” Rogers explained. 

Major investment from Save the Children

Oho had initial investors “about 18 months ago” and most recently went through another investment round where they reached their $2 million target, with the largest supporter Save the Children Australia.

“With Save the Children, child safety is their mission and of course it aligns with us so we are delighted to have them as a partner as they have the same values and mission as us,” she said.

“We had early adopters 12 months before that but we really started to grow as a company in the past 18 months.”

Customers include sporting organisations, faith based charities, private and public schools and tutoring companies.

A social enterprise inspired by lived experience.

Rogers says the founders were inspired by the lived experiences of survivors of abuse.

“Our co-founders who are technologists, supported a survivor during The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Him, and several others.

“One of the findings from the royal commission was that technology should be able to contribute to minimising abuse,” she said.

“We then set about building the ability to work in with the institution’s obligations to do a child safety check.

“I found that the way that works is different. It is largely one person at a time and is a massive, manual process.

“The Oho technology helps organisations verify the credentials in particular working with children, against all of the government registers.”

Growth plans

Next they are moving into the health industry.

“The health industry from this standpoint is an interesting one as there is something called an Ahpra licence but with that, you can still have an Ahpra licence but have conditions, such as not to work with children.

“Unless you are monitoring these things, young people can be at risk.”

Rogers referenced the case of a neurologist who was working in sport and had conditions against his Ahpra licence as an example of how easy it can be to get it wrong.

Rogers says there is nothing like Oho globally and there are plans to keep growing.

“To-date we have not found anything similar in any other target markets like the UK and America. Our intention is to expand. There is nothing equivalent in Australia either,” she says.

Other users include Geelong Grammar school and Gymnastics Australia.

They also have a second product, Oho Home, for those using carers in the home.

“Our mission is to cover the 5 million plus carers in the industry,” she says.