A Working With Children Check (WWCC) or Working With Vulnerable People Check, Blue Card, Ochre Card or eqivalent, is a mandatory live backgrond screening credential that assesses a person's suitability to work or volunteer in child related work in Australia.
Each state and territory runs its own WWCC scheme independently, with it's own legislation, issuing authority, application process, employer obligations and screening portals.
There is no single national check, and a clearance issues in one state is not typically recognised in another state. But recent reforms have introduced new connectivity across jurisdictions.
Unlike a standard police check, the Working With Children Check (or equivalent) is an ongoing assessment (a live check) and not a one-time snapshot of suitability.
The check typically involves a criminal history assessment and reportable conduct information relevant to child safety. The outcome is either clearance to work with children, or prohibition. However, the wording and statuses differ by jurisdiction.
All jurisdictions allow for a clearance/check to be suspended, cancelled or revoked at any point during the validity period if new information about a person's suitability comes to light.
Find out more information via ACIC or the Royal Commission.
Any adult who works or volunteers in a child related setting generally requires a WWCC or equivalent check. The precise definition of "child related work" varies by jurisdiction, so you should check specific state requirements. In most states, this means any role where direct contact with children under 18 is regular and an expected part of the job, not merely incidental.
This typically includes:
Employees, volunteers, and contractors working directly with children
Workers in early childhood education and care, schools, and out of school hours care
Workers in disability, youth, community, health, and welfare services where children are involved
Foster and kinship carers and household members in some jurisdictions
People whose role involves access to children's sensitive personal information in some states
Employers are responsible for determining which roles in their organisation require a check according to state/territory regulations. If a role involves regular, direct contact with children as a normal part of duties, a WWCC is almost certainly required.
Most state legislation defines child-related work as work where the worker is likely to have direct contact with a child on a regular basis as part of their duties (face-to-face, physical, verbal, or electronic). Incidental or one-off contact generally does not require a WWCC.
Each jurisdiction publishes its own list of sectors and activities constituting child related work. Common examples include childcare and education, health services for children, disability support services for children, youth services, sport and recreation, and foster care.
If you're unsure whether a role requires a check, always refer to your state or territory screening authority for guidance.
Workers apply through the worker screening authority in the state or territory where they primarily work. Applications are generally submitted online and involve providing identity documents and consenting to a criminal history check.
Fees and processing times vary by jurisdiction and whether the application is a paid worker or volunteer. Most states offer a reduced fee or free check for volunteers. Processing times typically range from a few days to several weeks.
Workers should not commence child-related work until their clearance is confirmed, unless the state's specific rules allow for supervised commencement on application.
Working With Children Checks are administered and managed independently in each jurisdiction.
For more information, visit your state screening authority.
Validity periods differ by state. As a general guide:
NSW: 5 years
VIC: 5 years
QLD: 3 years
SA: 5 years
WA: 3 years
TAS: 5 years
ACT: 5 years
NT: 2 years
A clearance in any of these states can be cancelled, suspended, excluded, revoked or barrer at any time during the validity period. Organisations not only need to monitor expiry dates and renewals, but regularly verify against government registers to determine validity and suitability.
Always confirm current validity periods and fees with your state screening authority, as these can be updated.
Regardless of your state, the compliance obligation doesn't end at verifying a check at the point of hire. Employers have ongoing responsibilities.
Determine whether the role constitutes child-related work under your state legislation
Confirm the worker holds a current, valid check (or equivalent) from the state in which they will be working
Verify the check to determine suitability and clearance to work - sighting the card or check number alone is not sufficient
Link workers/checks to your organisation in relevant jurisdictions
Confirm the worker is not subject to a bar, suspension, exclusion or negative notice
Maintain a register of workers in child-related roles, including check numbers, expiry dates, and check types
Monitor and verify clearance statuses, checks can be suspended or cancelled at any time
Manage renewals proactively before checks expire
Update records when workers change roles, leave or move to a different state
Respond promptly if a worker's status changes to barred, suspended or cancelled
Many states also require employers to formally register with the relevant authority to access the employer verification portal.
For more information, please visit your state screening authority to accurately determine your state-specific obligations as an employer.
This depends entirely on the state. Each jurisdiction has different rules about whether and under condition supervised commencement is permitted while an application is being processed.
For example, Queensland's Blue Card system operates a strict "no card, no start" policy: workers cannot commence work until their Blue Card is issued.
Always check the current requirements in your state.
Short answer: no. A WWCC issued in one state is generally not recongised in another state.
A worker who moves interstate, or who regularly works across multiple states, will typically need to apply for a check in each jurisdiction where they work.
2025 saw significant reforms announced around Working with Children Checks, mutual recognition, and a National Continuous Checking Capability. These reforms don't impact the need for employers to verify Working With Children Checks to determine worker suitability.
Each state has its own employer verification portal, and the process varies slightly. In most cases, employers need to register with the relevant authority before they can verify checks. Verification involves searching the worker's check number, name or date of birth, and confirming their current clearance status.
Importantly: verifying a check once at hire is not enough. Status can change during the validty period, and your obligation to ensure workers hold a current, valid clearance is ongoing.
Each state has its own employer verification portal, and the process varies slightly. In most cases, employers need to register with the relevant authority before they can verify checks. Verification involves searching the worker's check number, name or date of birth, and confirming their current clearance status.
Importantly: verifying a check once at hire is not enough. Status can change during the validty period, and your obligation to ensure workers hold a current, valid clearance is ongoing.
Manually logging into multiple portals to check individual worker checks and link to your organisation is time consuming, and with a highly dynamic workforce (high turnover, large volumes, employees and contractors) it’s a process that quickly becomes unmanageable at scale.
Oho connects directly to these government screening portals and automates verification of Working With Children Checks across Australian states at a regular interval as often as every 7 days. Oho checks worker statuses across your entire workforce to flag and notify you of any revocations, suspensions and exclusions. No spreadsheets. No blind spots.
See how it works →
Australia is in a period of significant reform.
In November 2025, the standing council of Attorneys-General agreed to mutual recognition of negative notices: banned in one state, banned in all, with jurisdictions urgently progressing the legislation to make it happen.
Federal reforms also included a committment to a National Continuous Checking Capability for near real-time criminal history monitoring nationally. However, full functionality is not expected until 2029.
Running alongside this, states are progressing their own reforms, with Victoria's 22 point child safety review, Queensland's Blue Card changes, and federeal reforms touching early eduction.
Governments have done significant work to connect their systems to each other and enrich the worker suitability information they have. But there remains a gap between what those systems know and what actually reaches employers. Organisations need to regularly access this information in order to stay informed. That's the problem Oho solves: connecting you directly to governemtn registers with continuous monitoring so nothing slips through.
Does a WWCC check the same things as a police check?
Not exactly. A WWCC involves a criminal history check but also considers other information relevant to child safety (where it can, varying by jurisdiction). The assessment is made in the context of suitability to work with children, and a standard police check is a broader criminal record check, not specifically assessing child safety risk.
What happens if a worker's check is cancelled or suspended?
If a clearance is suspended, cancelled, excluded, barred, or revoked, the worker must immediately cease all child-related work. Most states have obligations on both the worker and the employer to act on a status change, but the organisation deploying this worker has the most liability. Employers should have processes in place to identify status changes promptly and respond quickly. Waiting for a scheduled review is not sufficient.
Does my organisation need to register as an employer to verify checks?
In most states, yes. Employer registration with the relevant screening authority is required before you can access the online verification portal. This is generally a straightforward process. Check you jurisdiction portal as some don't require a login e.g. Victoria.
Do volunteers need a WWCC?
In most states, yes. If a volunteer is engaged in child-related work as defined by local legislation, they require a check. Most states offer reduced or free checks for volunteers. The same employer verifications often apply.
What if a worker holds a check from a different state?
Interstate checks are not currently recognised for work in a different state. A worker transferring from another state or regularly working multiple jurisdictions will likely need to apply for a check in the state where they'll be working. Check the specific rules with the relevant state authority, as requirements can vary.
Is a WWCC the same thing as an NDIS check?
No these are separate checks with different scope and different legislative foundations. An NDIS Worker Screening Check is specific for risk-assessed roles with NDIS participants and is administered nationally via the NDIS uUality and Safeguards Commission. If a worker is in a role that involves both NDIS participants and children, they may be required to hold both checks.
If your organisation employers workers in child-related roles, manual verification isn’t a sustainable approach. Especially as workforce size grows and turnover is high.
Oho automates credential verification across the WWCC state portals and other government registers, giving you continuous visibility over your workforce compliance without the manual overhead.
Page last reviewed: april 2026.
Information on this page is provided for general guidance and is sourced from state and territory screening authorities. For definitive compliance advice, consult your state screening unit.
