Pre-employment and volunteer screening checks

Working With Children Checks, Working With Vulnerable People Checks and Police Checks

Content type
Resource sheet
Published

January 2024

Overview

This resource sheet provides an overview of screening checks for people who engage with vulnerable groups such as children in employment or volunteer activities in Australia. It outlines information about Working With Children Checks (WWCC), Working With Vulnerable People Checks (WWVPC) and Police Checks, their requirements and state/territory contact information. This resource is intended for employers, current and prospective employees and volunteers engaging in child-related work in Australia. It answers common questions related to pre-employment screening checks and provides state and territory requirements for working with children, including contact information for state/territory screening services. 

The information provided is to be used as a guide only. Individuals are encouraged to check the currency of any information that is provided by contacting relevant departments or organisations. All enquiries about obtaining WWCCs, WWVPCs and Police Checks should be made to the state or territory government department responsible.

Introduction

Introduction

Each day, children across Australia come into contact with a variety of organisations such as schools, child care centres, hospitals, religious institutions and sports and recreation clubs. Pre-employment and volunteer screening for people seeking to engage in child-related work is one measure that contributes to ensuring the safety of children within these organisations. All Australian states and territories administer schemes for screening people who work and volunteer with children. Some of these schemes also include other vulnerable groups such as people with disability and older people. In 2019, state and territory ministers endorsed the National Standards for WWCCs and committed to working toward its implementation in their respective jurisdictions (National Office for Child Safety, 2023). However, there is no single national set of requirements for child-related employment and volunteer checks to work with children or vulnerable people. Instead, all Australian states and territories have related state-based legislation, regulations and pre-screening requirements.

Screening checks in New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia are called Working With Children Checks (WWCC) and in the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania are called Working With Vulnerable People checks (WWVPC). WWVPCs are broader than WWCCs because they are screening checks for people who are in contact with a child or an adult experiencing disadvantage (e.g. with a physical or mental disability) as part of their employment or volunteer work. Pre-employment and volunteer screenings, such as WWCCs, WWVPCs and Police Checks, screen for an individual’s criminal records and any reports on their professional conduct.

Pre-employment and volunteer screening checks are designed to help ensure that the right people are chosen to work or volunteer with children. They aim to prevent people from working or volunteering with children if records indicate they may pose a risk.

Research has highlighted the advantages of having structured pre-employment screening processes in place (Child Protection Systems Royal Commission, 2016). These benefits include:

  • Subjective decision making is minimised by basing decisions on standardised points of reference. The use of structured risk assessment approaches is more reliable and valid than the use of professional judgement alone.
  • The assumptions on which the risk assessment models are based can be clearly set out and may be tested.
  • Information can be dealt with transparently, and the person affected can put forward information as well as correct it.
  • Public awareness of the use of structured risk assessment models may deter possible offenders. (Child Protection Systems Royal Commission, 2016)
Common questions

Common questions

This section provides an overview for some commonly asked questions relating to pre-employment screening and volunteer checks for employers and current or prospective employees and volunteers engaging in child-related work in Australia. 

How do Police Checks and child safety screening programs work?

In Australia, approved agencies are only able to check someone's criminal history or any reports on their professional conduct if they have the informed consent of the individual involved. Police Checks carried out in each state and territory provide a nationwide screening of criminal history information. The WWCC or WWVPC and the Police Check may be separate checks depending on the jurisdiction. For example, in Victoria, they are separate checks, whereas in New South Wales, a WWCC includes a National Police Check. Employers may require individuals to obtain both checks. For Commonwealth or ACT requests, the Australian Federal Police need to conduct the Police Check. 

Most jurisdictions across Australia offer one certification type to individuals engaged in child-related work (NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Tas, Vic and WA). In the ACT, 3 types of screening clearance are offered (general, conditional and role-based). All certifications are valid for a set length of time (between 2 and 5 years) and are subject to ongoing monitoring of an individual’s suitability for child-related work. This means that if a relevant criminal offence is committed during the validity of the check or if the individual is subject to relevant work-related disciplinary procedures, the administering authority may inform employers of the offence and alter or withdraw an individual’s entitlement to work with children. Individuals can carry their certification between positions without undergoing repeated screening while their WWCC is valid but not between jurisdictions  ‘Is my pre-employment screening transferable between jurisdictions?’)

Who must undergo pre-employment child safety screening?

All jurisdictions in Australia have some form of child-related employment or volunteering pre-screening legislation. These laws make it mandatory for certain individuals engaged in occupations such as education and child care, child protection, child and family welfare, health, entertainment and recreation, and religious services to meet screening requirements. There are differences across the states and territories about who is required to undergo screening and how different occupations are identified. The requirements of each jurisdiction are summarised in the sections below. If you are unsure whether you need to obtain a WWCC, contact the relevant body in your state or territory. State and territory contact details are provided below.

Are there other child safety requirements for my job?

In addition to child-related employment pre-screening legislation, all states and territories have legislation that requires people who wish to register in certain occupations (e.g. teachers, doctors or child care workers) to be screened for criminal offences. This means that even if child-related employment pre-screening legislation did not exist, there are still requirements for individuals working in certain occupations to undergo screening (e.g. in the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic); Medical Practitioners Registration Act 2001 (Qld); Child Care Act 2001 (Tas)). Where professional registration requirements require screening, certain persons are exempt from the WWCC (e.g. in Victoria, persons registered under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006).

Organisations may also have developed their own policies that require employees and volunteers to undergo National Police Checks. State and territory police provide criminal history checks to individuals and organisations wishing to obtain Police Checks for employment, voluntary work and occupation-related licensing or registration purposes.
 

What is a Working With Children Check (and Working With Vulnerable People Check) and how is it different to a Police Check?

WWCCs and WWVPCs generally involve a criminal history check, screening of reports on individual’s professional conduct and assessment of other relevant information such as the presence of any court orders. Applicants will either pass or fail a screening check. In the ACT, there are 2 types of WWVP registration: positive unrestricted registration and positive with restrictions registration (see below under ACT for further details). 

In contrast, Police Checks are not an assessment. They only provide information up to the date of issue, while WWCCs and WWVPCs are a certification that can last several years. A Police Check alone will not allow an individual to do child-related work in Australia. Police Checks identify and release relevant criminal history information relating to convictions, findings of guilt or pending court proceedings. However, due to spent conviction/non-disclosure legislation and information release policies, there are limitations on the information a Police Check can provide. 

WWCCs are both more extensive and more targeted than Police Checks, as the purpose of a WWCC is to assess the level of risk an individual poses to children's safety. For example, WWCCs draw together information from various sources but with a primary focus on certain types of offences (e.g. sexual offences, offences related to the harm or mistreatment of a child). In general, WWCCs consider:

  • convictions – whether or not they are considered spent or were committed by a juvenile
  • apprehended violence orders and other orders, prohibitions or reporting obligations
  • charges (i.e. where a conviction has not been recorded because; for example, a proceeding has not been heard or finalised by a court, or where charges have been dismissed or withdrawn)
  • relevant allegations or police investigations involving the individual
  • relevant employment proceedings and disciplinary information from professional organisations (e.g. organisations associated with teachers, child care service providers, foster carers and health practitioners).

Is my pre-employment screening transferable between jurisdictions?

WWCCs and WWVPCs are not transferable between states and territories. Organisations or individuals that work or volunteer with children across state or territory boundaries need to ensure that they have the appropriate clearance checks and screenings for each separate jurisdiction. Exemptions to this requirement exist in some cases for visitors who work interstate for a brief period and have a valid check from their original state or territory. Where applicable, these exemptions are outlined in the jurisdiction summaries below.

What are the limitations of pre-employment screening?

Policy and legislation that provide for the pre-employment and volunteer screening of adults who work or volunteer in child-related organisations are important for creating and maintaining child-safe organisations. However, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has found the schemes operating in Australia to be inconsistent and complex. The Royal Commission report highlights several issues including inadequate information sharing and monitoring of WWCCs across jurisdictions; the non-transferability of WWCCs across jurisdictions; and the inability of screening agencies to access WWCC decisions in other jurisdictions (Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, 2015). A set of National Standards for WWCCs were endorsed by state and territory ministers, in part in response to the need for greater national consistency. However, there are still differences in regulations across jurisdictions.

In the 2016 South Australian Royal Commission report The Life They Deserve, Commissioner Nyland highlighted that pre-employment screening is not intended to be a fail-safe measure in its own right: 'gaining clearance does not mean that a person has been deemed safe or suitable to work with children – it simply means there is no available history to suggest they pose a threat' (Child Protection Systems Royal Commission, 2016, p. 537). 
 

What role do organisations have in protecting children?

Organisations play an important role in protecting children, beyond adhering to pre-employment screening and volunteer regulations. WWCCs, WWVPCs and Police Checks should be implemented in conjunction with other measures to minimise the risk to children's safety. These additional measures may include pre-employment interviews, thorough reference checks, policy development for child-safe environments, and robust accountability frameworks for responding to allegations of misconduct.

In 2019, the Australian Human Rights Commission released the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations in response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2017). These principles are considered fundamental to making an organisation safe for children and are intended to ensure a nationally consistent approach for all organisations that work or have contact with children. All organisations working with or coming into contact with children are encouraged to become a child safe organisation (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2018). (For more information on child safe organisations and links to resources for organisations, see the CFCA short article: Child safe organisations: Information for organisations on how to keep children safe .) WWCCs, WWVPCs and Police Checks should be implemented in conjunction with these principles. 

In 2020, the Australian National Office for Child Safety released the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework (2nd ed). This framework sets out minimum standards for Commonwealth entities to create and maintain behaviours and practices that are safe for children. The framework includes 4 key requirements and guidance for implementation: (a) conducting an annual risk assessment and mitigation, (b) training and compliance with the framework and relevant legislation (including with WWCC/WWVP legislation), (c) adopting and implementing the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, and (d) publishing an annual statement of compliance.

State and territory requirements

State and territory requirements

There are differences in how Australian states and territories conduct pre-employment or pre-volunteering screening assessments. This section provides an overview for each jurisdiction of the types of screening programs that are in place, what records are checked, who is required to undergo screening, what is required of the individual and their employer, and where further information can be found.

See the sections below for specific requirements for your state or territory.

Australian Capital Territory

Australian Capital Territory

Legislation

Screening check name

Working With Vulnerable People (WWVP) registration

Valid for

Up to 5 years

Who is required to obtain a check

  • People aged 16 years and over who have more than incidental contact* with vulnerable# people while engaging in regulated activities and services.
  • Any person who is providing an NDIS activity.

*Incidental contact refers to when a person works in the same building as a vulnerable person but does not have any physical or face-to-face communication with the vulnerable person.
# A vulnerable person can be a child or an adult experiencing disadvantage. Examples of disadvantage include: a physical or mental disability, experiencing social or financial hardship, and an inability to communicate. 

Exemptions

A WWVP registration is not required if the person is:

  • under 16 years of age
  • engaged in a regulated activity for 3 days or less in any 4-week period and 7 days or less in any 12-month period (except for overnight school camps and NDIS activities involving contact with a vulnerable person)
  • registered under a corresponding law and engaged in a similar regulated activity for 28 days or less in any 12-month period
  • a close relative of the vulnerable person and/or engaged in the activity as a volunteer (e.g. playgroup)
  • engaged in the activity in the same capacity as the vulnerable person (e.g. player in a sporting team, work colleagues)
  • engaged in the activity as a school student doing work experience or practical training
  • supervising a vulnerable person engaged in a regulated activity
  • a police officer, an AFP appointee, a health practitioner, a lawyer, a staff member or volunteer for an approved provider under the Aged Care Act 1997, a financial services licensee under the Corporations Act
  • a court or tribunal interpreter for a vulnerable person who cannot communicate, or who has difficulty communicating in English
  • engaged in an activity for a commonwealth or territory government agency and contact with a vulnerable person is at a public counter or shop front or via telephone
  • engaged in an activity that only involves providing or receiving information by telephone (e.g. helpline or call centre) and/or working with a record of the vulnerable person
  • engaged in the activity for a declared state of emergency
  • engaged in the activity for a territory or national event and the commissioner declares that the person is not required to be registered for the activity (e.g. Paralympics).

What services or sectors need to register?

Regulated activities or services for children:

  • child protection (e.g. activities provided under the Children and Young People Act 2008, kinship carer, researcher for research project, authorised assessor, residential care services) 
  • justice facilities for children 
  • child care services
  • child education services (e.g. schools, school-crossing services)
  • child accommodation (e.g. overnight camps, residential services) 
  • counselling and support for children
  • commercial services for children (e.g. party services, play facilities, competitions).

Regulated activities or services for vulnerable people involving:

  • mental health 
  • migrant/refugee/asylum seekers
  • the homeless
  • housing and accommodation
  • justice facilities
  • prevention of crime
  • victims of crime
  • addictions
  • community services
  • disability
  • respite care
  • emergency services personnel
  • transport
  • coaching and tuition
  • vocational and educational training
  • religious organisations
  • clubs, associations and movements (including those that have a significant membership or involvement by children).

Information considered

Information considered in the screening check includes:

  • charges and convictions whether committed in the ACT or elsewhere for any: sexual offence; offence against the person; offence involving violence; offence involving dishonesty or fraud; offence relating to property; offence involving possession of or trafficking in a drug of dependence or controlled drug; an offence against an animal; driving offences; and disqualifying offences
  • non-conviction information in relation to a relevant offence (or an alleged relevant offence) involving the following: where a person has been charged with the offence but a proceeding is not finalised; the charge has lapsed, been withdrawn or discharged, or struck out; the person has been acquitted of an alleged offence; a conviction for an alleged offence has been quashed or set aside; an infringement notice for an alleged offence has been served; or the person has a spent conviction for the offence
  • any other information that may be relevant in deciding whether the applicant poses a risk of harm to a vulnerable person; for example, apprehended violence orders, care and protection orders for a child for whom the person has or had parental responsibility, and professional disciplinary proceedings against the person.

Registration outcomes

There are 3 registration outcomes following an application for a WWVP registration:

  1. Positive unrestricted registration: This means an individual has clearance for working with children.
  2. Positive with restrictions: This means the registration will have restrictions for at least one of the following: working with children, types of regulated activities or services, role that you can undertake in a regulated activity.
  3. Negative notice: This means you will not receive a WWVP registration and you cannot work or volunteer in any regulated activity.

Worker and employer obligations

  • Employers are required to comply with WWVP requirements by identifying roles within the organisation that may need WWVP registration and ensuring all employees or volunteers have valid registrations.
  • Evidence of WWVP registration is required, including any restrictions for employees to adhere to.
  • Organisations should keep a record of registration details for each worker and set reminders for registration expiry to ensure workers do not continue work without a valid WWVP registration.
  • Workers must notify the commissioner of any changes to relevant information (e.g. change of name, being found guilty of an offence).

Who applies

Individuals are responsible for making their own application.

For more information

Working with vulnerable people registration – Access Canberra

Where to apply

Working With Vulnerable People: online registration

Applicants may also apply in person or via post.

Police check: Australian Federal Police.

New South Wales

New South Wales

Legislation

Screening check name

Working with Children Check (WWCC)

Valid for

5 years

Who is required to obtain a check

  • employees and volunteers aged 18 years or older working in child-related roles, where contact with children is a usual part of the work, and not just incidental
  • adults who reside or stay regularly on the property of an authorised carer, home-based education and care service providers, family daycare service providers, potential adoptive parents, and heads (e.g. chief executive officers) of organisations captured by the Child Safe Scheme

Exemptions

A WWCC is not required if a person engages in a child-related role and:

  • is under the age of 18 years
  • works for a period of not more than a total of 5 working days in a calendar year, if the work involves minimal direct contact with children or is supervised when children are present
  • carries out the work in the course of an informal domestic arrangement that is not carried out on a professional or commercial basis
  • engages in work that only involves direct contact with children who are close relatives of the worker, other than a worker who carries out the work in the capacity of an authorised carer
  • is a parent or close relative of a child when volunteering at their children’s usual school and extra-curricular activities (except where the person is providing personal care for children with disabilities, participating in a formal mentoring program or at an overnight camp for children)
  • is a police officer or a member of the Australian Federal Police when working in his or her capacity as a police officer
  • is a health practitioner in private practice, if the provision of services by the practitioner in the course of that practice does not ordinarily involve treatment of children without one or more other adults present
  • is a co-worker or work supervisor of a child unless the worker is engaged in community justice child placement work or works as an inspector carrying out works under the Public Health (Tobacco) Act 2008.
  • is a home care worker who holds a police certificate that is current for the purposes of the Accountability Principles 1998 made under the Aged Care Act 1997 of the Commonwealth and if their work is home care work and the clients are not primarily children
  • is working in and visiting NSW from outside the state for the purposes of a one-off event (e.g. jamboree, sporting or religious event) 
  • is a health practitioner working in and visiting NSW from outside the state and works 5 days or less in any 3-month period
  • holds an interstate WWCC in the jurisdiction in which the person ordinarily resides, or is exempt from the requirement to have such a check in that jurisdiction, and works 30 days or less in NSW 
  • is a visiting speaker, adjudicator, performer, assessor or other similar visitor at a school or other place where child-related work is carried out and if the work of the person at that place is for a one-off occasion and is carried out in the presence of one or more other adults
  • for short-term emergencies, where an employer deems it is necessary for a worker to engage with children to prevent an increased risk to the safety of children, but not for longer than 5 consecutive days.

The Children's Guardian has the discretion to grant a ‘continuing residence approval’ to a person who turns 18 while residing with an authorised carer and has been refused a WWCC clearance.

The Children’s Guardian must be satisfied that an appropriate risk mitigation plan is in place. The approval will allow the person to continue residing with the authorised carer in that placement.

What services or sectors need to register?

Services or sectors that need workers to have WWCC clearances:

  • child development, including mentoring or counselling services
  • child protection
  • children's health services (including in wards of hospitals where children are treated)
  • clubs, associations, movements or other bodies (including cultural, recreational or of a sporting nature) providing programs or services for children 
    disability including respite care or other support services for children with a disability
  • early education and child care services
  • education services (including schools, private coaching or tuition of children)
  • entertainment, including sporting and cultural venues and services used primarily by children
  • justice services
  • religious organisations
  • residential services (including refuges used by children, long-term home stays, boarding houses and overnight camps)
  • transport services for children (e.g. school bus services, school-crossing supervisors).

In addition, the following roles are also defined as child-related work roles: an approved provider or manager of education and care services; a nominated supervisor of education and care services; heads of child safe organisations; an authorised carer; an assessment officer; the principal officer of a designated agency; and the principal officer of an accredited adoption service provider.

Information considered

Information considered in the screening check includes:

  • national criminal history, including:
    • convictions (spent or unspent)
    • charges (whether heard, unheard or dismissed)
    • juvenile records
  • any findings of misconduct by a relevant entity, including: (a) sexual misconduct or offence committed against, with or in the presence of a child, including grooming a child, and (b) any serious physical assault of a child. 
  • a National Police Check is part of the WWCC

Note: Under the Reportable Conduct Scheme relevant entities must notify the Office of the Children’s Guardian when they become aware of any reportable allegations or convictions made against relevant employees, volunteers or contractors (where a Working With Children Check is required). A workplace investigation must be completed.

Having a criminal record does not necessarily bar you from working with children. You can still apply for a WWCC. The outcome of the WWCC will depend on the type of criminal or workplace records you have.

The Act outlines the type of records that require further assessment (see Schedule 1) or will result in an automatic bar (see Schedule 2). Also see The Office of the Children's Guardian NSW website for further information.

Worker and employer obligations

  • Individuals are required to provide original, current proof-of-identity documents when applying or renewing their WWCC.
  • Individuals are legally required to update their contact details within 3 months of changes being made. 
  • Employers operating within a child-related industry are required to register online with the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian (OCG). 
  • Employers are required to identify the roles which require a WWCC and provide information relevant to an assessment of whether a person poses a risk to the safety of children in response to a request from the OCG.
  • Employers must verify that their workers or volunteers who work with children have a WWCC or have applied for one, and that checks are renewed when required. Workers whose WWCC cannot be verified must be removed from work with children.
  • Employers must keep up-to-date records for each worker or volunteer who works with children, including: their full name, date of birth, WWCC number, verification date, verification outcome, expiry dates, their work status.
  • Penalties may apply for non-compliance.

Who applies

Individuals are responsible for their own application for certification.

For more information

Working with Children Check – Office of the Children's Guardian

Where to apply

Online: How to apply for a WWCC – Office of the Children's Guardian

Northern Territory

Northern Territory

Legislation

Screening check name

Working with Children Clearance, known as an ‘Ochre Card’

Valid for

2 years

Who is required to obtain a check

Employees and volunteers in child-related employment settings over the age of 14.

Exemptions

A WWCC is not required if a person:

  • is visiting the Northern Territory and engaging in volunteer work with children for less than 30 days in total in a year
  • is engaging in voluntary work (not including overnight stay) where they are a parent of at least one of the children they will be working with, and they are working under the direct supervision of an Ochre Card holder AND their employer does not require them to have a clearance
  • is engaged in babysitting or childminding as part of an arrangement with family or friends
  • has a child staying in their home for less than 7 days in a row (e.g. for school billeting) 
  • is working or volunteering for a children’s entertainment or party service that provides food, equipment or a venue, and has no contact with children (e.g. performers on stage, catering company)
  • is an approved emergency carer under the Care and Protection of Children (Placement Arrangements) Regulations
  • is a member of the police force or the Australian Federal Police

What services or sectors need to register?

  • child protection services
  • education or care services
  • education facilities for children
  • juvenile detention centres 
  • refuges or other residential facilities used by children
  • wards of hospitals or any other facilities for health services in which children are ordinarily patients 
  • clubs, associations or movements (including those that are of a cultural, recreational or sporting nature) with significant child membership or involvement
  • religious organisations
  • babysitting or childminding services
  • fostering of children
  • transportation of children
  • private tuition
  • counselling or other support services
  • overnight camps
  • road crossing services for school children
  • services that provide gym or play facilities
  • photographic services, competitions, entertainment or party facilities or services for children
  • sports coaching or sports lessons for children
  • accommodation services for children in private residential premises
  • anyone performing child-related work as:
    • a minister of religion or part of a religious vocation
    • a student for the practical training of and educational or vocational course
    • a volunteer or paid worker
  • is a member of a board, management committee or partners in businesses or organisations that perform work with or for children.

Information considered

Information considered in the screening check includes:

  • national police history, criminal history, any relevant offences including convictions, pending charges or information related to offences committed or allegedly committed
  • factors such as the nature, gravity and relevance of the offence, the age of the victim and time elapsed since the offence
  • other information including records sourced from courts, police, prosecution agencies or previous employers, character references and reports about recent behaviour, any order imposed by a court under the Care and Protection of Children Act 2007, Domestic and Family Violence Act 2007 and the Personal Violence Restraining Orders Act 2016.

Worker and employer obligations

  • Employers or volunteer coordinators are responsible for making sure their relevant employees or volunteers have a valid WWCC and maintaining records that show compliance with the WWCC scheme.
  • Individuals must report charges, convictions or court appearances for any disqualifying offence.
  • Penalties may apply for non-compliance.

Who applies

Individuals are responsible for their own application and clearance.

For more information

Working with children clearance: before you apply – Northern Territory Government
Working with children clearance: apply and renew – Northern Territory Government

Where to apply

Applicants may apply in person or via post.

Police check: NT Police, Fire & Emergency Services.

Queensland

Queensland

Legislation

Screening check name

Working with Children Check, known as a 'Blue Card'

Valid for

3 years

Who is required to obtain a check

Individuals engaged in paid work in child-related occupations (i.e. categories of regulated employment under the Act) and individuals over 18 years volunteering in a child-related role for more than 7 days in a calendar year.

Exemptions

A WWCC registration is not required if the person is:

  • a paid employee, volunteer or student (and not a restricted person* or running a business) who works in child-related occupations for no more than 7 days in a calendar year
  • a volunteer who is under 18 years of age (and not a restricted person*) 
  • working alongside a person who is under 18 (e.g. if you supervise a 17-year-old colleague)
  • participating in a team, club or group activity that also has members under 18 years of age (e.g. if you play in an under-20s sports group with a member who is 17) 
  • supervising a student while they do work experience (including school students)
  • an Australian lawyer providing legal or advocacy services

*A restricted person is a person who either: has been issued a negative notice, has a suspended blue card, is a disqualified person, has been charged with a disqualifying offence that has not been finalised or is the subject of an adverse interstate WWCC decision that is in effect.

What services or sectors need to register?

  • Regulated employment or regulated business in accordance with the Act.
  • In most cases, regulated employment includes a person engaging in any of the work outlined below as a student, as a volunteer or in a paid position. Unpaid employment of a child is not regulated employment unless the child is undertaking training through practical placement.

Categories of regulated employment:

  • care of children under the Child Protection Act 1999 (Qld)
  • child accommodation services including home stays (including each adult residing in the same property of the home stay, unless they are a relative of the child who receives the accommodation service)
  • child care services
  • churches, clubs and associations involving children (with the exception of individuals who are both a parent of a child participating in the services/activities and in an unpaid position) 
  • disability work (including NDIS service providers) 
  • education and care services 
  • education programs conducted outside of school
  • emergency services cadet program, when the individual is undertaking the role of an adult member in the program and prescribed teaching
  • health, counselling and support services that come into contact with children 
  • private teaching, coaching or tutoring
  • religious representatives whose regular functions of employment are directly toward or mainly involve children 
  • residential facilities (and hostels for children)
  • school boarding facilities
  • schools (including employees other than teachers)
  • school crossing supervisors
  • sport and active recreation activities directed towards or mainly involving children (with the exception of individuals who are both a parent of a child participating in the services and in an unpaid position and employment that takes place at an amusement park).

Information considered

Information considered in the screening check includes:

  • National Reference System database search to determine if another state or territory has made an adverse WWC decision
  • a charge or conviction for any offence in Australia, even if no conviction was recorded (this includes spent convictions, pending and non-conviction charges)
  • child protection prohibition orders (both respondents and subjects to the application)
  • disqualification orders
  • reporting obligations under the Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Offender Prohibition Order) Act 2004 or Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act 2003
  • disciplinary information from certain organisations (this includes information about teachers, child care licensees and foster carers)
  • domestic violence information
  • other information about the person that is relevant to deciding whether it would be in the best interests of children to issue a Blue Card
  • police investigative information relating to allegations of serious child-related sexual offences, even if no charges were laid.

Worker and employer obligations

  • Individuals must report any changes to any personal or employment details through their online applicant portal (within 7 days for applicants and within 14 days for card holders). Individuals must also report changes to police information by completing this notification form. Work cannot be initiated prior to the Blue Card being issued and if the card expires, work cannot continue until the card is renewed. 
  • If a Blue Card is suspended or an exemption is applied, the applicant must not apply for, start or continue in child-related work or business. The card must be returned to Queensland Police Services immediately.
  • Employers must:
    • not start a person in work without a valid card
    • take reasonable steps to confirm the cardholder’s identity
    • link Blue Card holders to their organisation upon hiring, and de-link when they leave
    • maintain a register of the people engaged in the organisation 
    • have a child and youth risk management strategy in place (Chapter 8, Part 3, Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) Act 2000 (Qld))
    • report any changes in the organisation’s information on their online portal. 

Who applies

Individuals are responsible for their own application for certification.

For more information

How the blue card system works | Queensland Government
Rights and obligations under the blue card system | Queensland Government

Where to apply

Online or paper application: Apply for a blue card or exemption card | Queensland Government
Police check: Queensland Police.

South Australia

South Australia

Legislation

Screening check name

Working with Children Check

Valid for

5 years

Who is required to obtain a check

Individuals aged 14 years and over who currently do:

  • child-related work* as a volunteer or employee for more than 7 days in a calendar year 
  • any child-related work that involves overnight stays or close personal contact with a child with a disability.

Individuals who run businesses where their employees or volunteers do child-related work also require a WWCC.

*Child-related work includes:

  • paid or voluntary work directly with children
  • paid or voluntary work in organisations, associations or clubs with significant involvement of children, regardless of whether the worker or volunteer has direct contact with children. 

Legislatively, all persons holding prescribed positions*.

*A prescribed position includes positions in which a person works with children, or in which it is reasonably foreseeable that they will work with children, during the ordinary course of their duties and positions under the Regulation .

Exemptions

A WWCC is not required if a person is:

  • under 14 years of age
  • subject to conditions, working or volunteering in child-related work for 7 or less days in a calendar year
  • involved in a service or activity provided for a personal or domestic service
  • involved in the employment or supervision of a child in non-child-related work 
  • undertaking a service or activity in the same capacity as a child
  • undertaking any service or activity in the course of which contact with children occurs incidentally or would not reasonably be expected to occur
  • subject to conditions, a parent or guardian doing voluntary work involving their own child (check SA Screening Unit for more details)
  • subject to conditions, is a non-resident of South Australia who holds a WWCC from another jurisdiction, as long as child-related work is provided in the course of an organised event and does not exceed 10 consecutive days.

What services or sectors need to register?

Child-related work includes:

  • accommodation and residential services for children
  • services or activities provided by religious organisations 
  • child care or child-minding services
  • child protection services
  • services or activities provided in the course of the operation of clubs and associations with a significant membership of, or involvement by, children
  • coaching or tuition services for children
  • commercial services provided directly to children
  • disability services for children
  • education services for children
  • health services for children
  • justice and detention services for children
  • transport services for children
  • any other service or activity declared by the regulations to be child-related work.

Information considered

Information considered in the screening check includes:

  • criminal history information including national convictions (withdrawn, spent and non-convictions), national charges (pending, withdrawn, dismissed and acquitted), police apprehension reports and more
  • disciplinary and misconduct information
  • information provided by relevant court/s
  • information related to child protection matters
  • information related to intervention or restraining orders
  • information related to guardianship, foster care and custody order/s
  • information provided by the applicant including declarations
  • information from SA government databases, such as Care Concern investigations.

Worker and employer obligations

  • Employers/organisations must not employ or continue to employ a person in child-related work unless they verify that their employee has a current SA WWCC.
  • Employees must not work with children unless they have had a SA WWCC conducted within the previous 5 years.
  • Employees must self-report and employers/organisations must report to the Screening Unit as they become aware of any change to the following for a person in child-related work. These include:
    • a change to personal details
    • being prohibited from working with children in another state or territory
    • becoming a registrable offender under the Child Sex Offenders Registration Act 2006
    • making a disclosure to their employer under section 66 of the Child Sex Offenders Registration Act 2006
    • a change in the assessable information relating to the individual and the information arose after their most recent Working With Children Check. Assessable information includes, but is not limited to, criminal charges, criminal convictions and findings of guilt, child protection matters, disciplinary and misconduct matters, cancellation of an approval as a foster parent, intervention orders and restraining orders.

Who applies

  • The WWCC application can be initiated by the person who requires the check or by an employer/organisation on behalf of the employee or volunteer.
  • The individual who will hold the WWCC will need to complete and submit the application.

For more information

Working with Children Checks – South Australian Government 
Working with Children Check Guidelines July 2019

Where to apply

Online: Apply for a screening check – South Australian Government 
Police check: South Australia Police

Tasmania

Tasmania

Legislation

Screening check name

Working With Vulnerable People registration

Valid for

5 years

Who is required to obtain a check

  • Individuals aged 16 years of age and over who work or volunteer with children under 18 years of age and have more than incidental contact with children and/or provide support and services to a person with a disability under the NDIS in Tasmania must obtain a check.
  • The type of contact or work that must be registered is called a ‘regulated activity’. A person is engaged in a regulated activity if they would reasonably be expected to have contact with a child as a normal part of taking part in the regulated activity, the contact is more than incidental, and they are involved one or more of the following:
    • physical contact, including taking part in a regulated activity at the same place as the vulnerable person
    • oral communication, including face-to-face or by telephone or other technology and written communication, including electronic. 

A person is also deemed to be engaged in a regulated activity if they reside in the residential premises where an activity is conducted. 
(Note: In the Act, a vulnerable person means a child or an adult who is accessing a regulated activity.)

Exemptions

A WWVP is not required if a person:

  • is working or volunteering with children for 7 days or less per calendar year (regardless of how long the engagement is for each day)
  • holds a current interstate registration for a similar activity for non-Tasmanian residents
  • engages in the same activity as the child as a participant (e.g. playing together in a sporting team)
  • is an emergency management worker in an emergency
  • is a school student on a work experience placement or doing practical training and they are supervised by a person who has a WWVP registration
  • is a police officer or correctional officer (exemption only applies for individuals in their professional capacity)
  • only has contact with a child’s record (i.e. not with the child) 
  • is working in a child-related activity (except for overnight camps, excursions or stays) for an employer and they are supervised by a person who has a WWVP registration (or is exempt from needing a WWVP registration) and the work occurs for 7 days or less over a year.

What services or sectors need to register?

Child-related activities include:

  • child care service including child care centre, family day care, nanny and babysitting services
  • child education, including government and non-government school services staff (including receptionists, gardeners, cleaners, drivers, etc.) teachers, vocational education and training services, state library services
  • child and youth services, including adoption, guardianship, child protection, child accommodation, child mentoring, child health, child disability and youth justice
  • child-related commercial service including sporting, cultural and other entertainment venues
  • child-related religious activities
  • child transport
  • clubs or association activities
  • coaching or tuition services.

Information considered

Information considered in the screening check includes:

  • convictions for all criminal offences
  • all spent convictions (convictions that don't ordinarily need to be declared)
  • any pending charges (charges that have not yet been decided by the court)
  • all non-conviction charges (those that have been finalised by the court but didn't result in a conviction)
  • the assessment process takes into consideration other factors relating to the offence/alleged offence, the applicant, and to recurrence.

Types of registration issued

From 1 February 2021, registrations include a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) endorsement if nominated. An applicant is required to nominate whether the NDIS endorsement is required for their registration, and their employment will then be verified with the NDIS prior to their application progressing further. More information is available on the Tasmanian Government website.

Worker and employer obligations

  • Individual workers are responsible for reporting any change to their personal details or criminal history within 10 working days of the change occurring.
  • Employers are required to check the registration status of workers before they start child-related work at the organisation and link the organisation’s details to the worker’s registration or application.
  • Employers must notify the Registrar of an employee’s commencement or cessation of work within 10 working days. This can be achieved through the Working With Vulnerable People Check Tasmania employer portal.
  • Workers may work while their application is under way (e.g. ‘pending') and when it has the employer named in the application, providing their application is lodged, they are supervised at all times while they are engaged in a child-related activity, and there is a ‘risk management plan’ in place. These conditions are the responsibility of the Employer.

Who applies

Individuals are responsible for their own application.

For more information

Registration to work with vulnerable people – Tasmanian Government

The Risk Assessment Process [PDF, 273 kB]– Tasmanian Government

RWVP Employer portal user guide [PDF, 978 kB] –Tasmanian Government

Where to apply

Online: Apply for registration to work with vulnerable people  – Service Tasmania

Service centre: Find a Service Centre – Service Tasmania

Police check: Tasmania Police

Victoria

Victoria

Legislation

Screening check name

Working With Children Check

Valid for

5 years

Who is required to obtain a check

  • individuals who engage in voluntary or paid work or practical training with children aged under 18 years of age in ‘child-related work’* 
  • all ministers of religion, unless their contact with children is only occasional contact that is incidental to their work or if their congregation does not contain any children
  • all kinship carers.

* ‘Child-related work’ is defined as work that usually involves direct, not occasional and not incidental contact with children (i.e. face-to-face contact, physical contact, and oral, written and electronic communication) in one of the services or sectors listed below.

Exemptions

A WWCC is not required if a person is:

  • under 18 years of age
  • a volunteer whose child is participating or ordinarily participates in the same activity
  • closely related to the child/ren they are working with (e.g. grandparent, uncle or aunt, step-parent).
  • an adult under 20 years old who is a student and engaged as a volunteer in child-related work as part of their studies with an educational institution
  • a registered teacher, Victoria Police officer, Federal Police officer
  • a visiting worker who holds an equivalent check from the jurisdiction where they are ordinarily a resident if they are engaging in work for not more than 30 days in a calendar year.

Note: these exemptions do not apply for individuals who have previously failed the WWC check and been given a WWC Check exclusion.

What services or sectors need to register?

  • child protection services 
  • child care services
  • child employment supervisors
  • children's services 
  • education and care services 
  • educational institutions 
  • out-of-home care services, remand centres, youth residential centres or youth justice centres 
  • refuges or other residential facilities used by children
  • accommodation services specifically provided for students including accommodation in the person's home 
  • paediatric wards 
  • clubs, associations or movements (including of a cultural, recreational or sporting nature) that provide services or conduct activities for, or directed at, children or whose membership is mainly comprised of children 
  • religious organisations 
  • babysitting or child-minding services arranged by a commercial agency 
  • fostering children 
  • providing, on a publicly funded or commercial basis, a transport service specifically for children 
  • coaching or tuition services of any kind specifically for children 
  • counselling or other support services for children 
  • overnight camps for children 
  • school crossing services 
  • providing on a commercial basis and not merely incidentally to or in support of other business activities: 
    • entertainment or party services specifically for children 
    • gym or play facilities specifically for children 
    • photography services specifically for children 
    • talent or beauty competitions for children
  • providing, on a publicly funded or commercial basis, an in-home care service for children.

Information considered

Information considered in the screening check includes:

  • criminal record in all Australian states and territories – including charges related to serious sexual, violent and drug related offences, regardless of the outcome of the charge
  • obligations or orders under the Sex Offenders Registration Act 2004 or the Serious Offenders Act 2018
  • relevant findings related to professional conduct from prescribed professional disciplinary bodies
  • supervision orders, detention orders or emergency detention orders
  • compliance (if applicable) with historical and current health practitioner legislation
  • relevant offences under the Worker Screening Act 2020
  • any formal findings of guilt in relation to an offence, convictions of an offence, accepted pleas of guilt, or acquittals of an offence because of mental impairment
  • information about any spent convictions, juvenile convictions and findings of guilt, pending charges and the circumstances surrounding any charges or convictions (such as the ages of the applicant and victim, applicant’s behaviour since the offence, likelihood of future threat to a child)
  • exclusion from child-related work in the past
  • exclusion from child-related work by another state or territory.

From 10 December 2019, the Act limits the appeal rights of the adults charged with or found guilty of the most serious offences.

Worker and employer obligations

  • WWCC holders and applicants must notify their employer and the Department of Justice and Community Safety of any relevant change in circumstances within 7 days of becoming aware of the change. 
  • Individuals are responsible for changing their WWCC from volunteer to employee if they have a volunteer check but are about to do paid child-related work.
  • It is an offence for a holder of a WWCC exclusion to apply for child-related work and to engage in child-related work without a WWCC.
  • It is an offence for employers to engage a person in child-related work if that person does not have a valid WWC check, unless they are exempt under the Worker Screening Act 2020 or have lodged an application for WWC check that is currently being assessed (this exemption does not apply to people who are charged with, convicted or found guilty of sexual, violent of drug offences in clause 2 of Schedule 5 of the Act).  
  • Employers must check the status of all worker’s WWCC before they start working and ensure their details are correct and include the name of the organisation. This can be done online at Services Vic. They also must keep up-to-date records of the WWCC details and know when they expire.

Who applies

Individuals are responsible for their own WWCC application.

Do I also need a Police Check?

A WWCC includes a police record check; however, this is different to a Police Check. Organisations may require individuals to have a separate Police Check.

For more information

Working with Children Check – Victorian Government

Where to apply

Online: Apply for a Working with Children Check  – Service Victoria

Police check: Victoria Police

Western Australia (incl. Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands)

Western Australia (incl. Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands)

Legislation

Screening check name

Working With Children (WWC) Check

Valid for

3 years

Who is required to obtain a check

Individuals who have an agreement to work in child-related work. Work is child-related if the ‘usual duties’ of the work involve or are likely to involve ‘contact’ with a child in connection with at least one of the categories of ‘child-related work’ (see below for ‘what services or sectors need to register’).

Exemptions

A WWCC is not required if a person is:

  • a child under 18 years of age and doing volunteer work
  • a student under 18 years of age and doing unpaid work as part of an educational or vocational course with an education provider
  • a short-term visitor to Westen Australia and works for no more than 2 weeks during a 12-month period. This exemption only applies during the 2-week period immediately after their arrival in WA and cannot be applied in addition to the one-off national event exemption.

Exemptions for specific circumstances:

  • a parent doing volunteer work where their child is included in the activity#
  • non-residents of Western Australia (WA) who are participating in a one-off national event or tour that is organised at state, territory or national level by a recognised body and where children from more than one state, territory or country are participating (e.g. national Scout jamboree) for a one-off non-cumulative period of 30 days within a 12-month period. This exemption cannot be used in conjunction with the short-term visitor exemption.
  • police officers when performing their duties and functions as a member of the WA Police Force, for some categories
  • coaching or private tuition group classes (of 2 or more persons) that are not provided or advertised as primarily for children
  • work carried out in residential facilities connected to, or predominantly used by, students of a university or other tertiary institutions
  • performances provided by children’s entertainment or party service that are open to the general public and do not involve physical contact with children
  • children’s entertainment or party services that only provide equipment, food or a venue.

# This exemption does not apply to people with a current Interim Negative Notice or Negative Notice.

What services or sectors need to register?

  • child care service
  • community kindergarten
  • educational institution for children
  • coaching or private tuition service
  • arrangement for the accommodation or care arrangement, whether in a residential facility or private residence
  • placement arrangements made under the Children and Community Services Act 2004 (WA)
  • performance by an officer 
  • child protection services
  • detention centres
  • community child health services
  • counselling or other support services
  • religious organisations
  • a club, association or movement (including of a cultural, recreational or sporting nature and whether incorporated or not) with a significant membership or involvement of children
  • wards of public or private hospitals in which children are ordinarily patients
  • babysitting or child-minding services
  • overnight camps
  • transport services specifically for children
  • school crossing services
  • children's entertainment or party services.

Information considered

Information considered in the screening check includes:

  • any relevant criminal history information, such as charges, pending charges, court outcomes and information about the circumstances related to relevant offences
  • information relating to charges and/or convictions for overseas offences in certain circumstances
  • information from a conduct review authority, such as disciplinary and misconduct outcomes and related information
  • any other information that is deemed to be relevant; such as, child protection orders, reports from professionals (e.g. psychologists and doctors), relevant information from Departments of Education and Health, prescribed reports from the Department of Justice
  • Notifications and information from other government agencies within WA and interstate.

Worker and employer obligations

  • Individual workers must apply for a WWC Card within 10 days of written notice from the WWC Screening Unit instructing them to do so. They must not work in child-related work without a current WWC Card or pending application. 
  • WWC Card holders and applicants must maintain accurate records and notify the MMC screening unit of any change to their details, circumstances or criminal record, even if they are not currently engaged in child-related work. They must also provide written notice to their employee/organisation/education provider of any relevant change in their criminal record.
  • Organisations must ensure that all workers who engage in child-related work have a valid WWC Check or WWC Card and ensure they are renewed before expiry. 

Who applies

Individuals are responsible for their own application for certification.

For more information

Working with Children Check – Western Australian Government

Working with Children Check - Resources and guides: factsheets and other resources – Western Australian Government

Where to apply

Online: Apply for a Working with Children Check – Western Australian Government

Police check: Western Australia Police Force

Conclusion

Screening helps to prevent people with a known history of violent and abusive behaviour from gaining access to children through organisations, employment or volunteering. However, screening alone is not sufficient (e.g. it is limited to identifying known perpetrators) and needs to be coupled with other protective measures to maintain the safety of children. These include interviews, thorough reference checks, policy development for child-safe environments, and robust accountability frameworks for responding to allegations.

References

References

  • Australian Human Rights Commission. (2018). National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. Sydney: AHRC.
  • Child Protection Systems Royal Commission. (2016). The life they deserve: Child Protection Systems Royal Commission report. Adelaide: Government of South Australia.
  • National Office for Child Safety. (2020). Commonwealth Child Safe Framework (2nd edition). Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia. 
  • Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. (2015). Working with Children Checks Report. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.
  • Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. (2017). Making Institutions Child Safe Report. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia..
  • National Office for Child Safety. (2023). Working with Children Check reform. Retrieved from www.childsafety.gov.au/what-we-do/working-children-check-reform
Acknowledgements

This resource sheet was updated by Eliza Cotton, Research Officer, and Dr Mandy Truong, Research Fellow, in the Child Family Community Australia team at the Australian Institute of Family Studies.


The feature image is by Josh Blair, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

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