Child Safe Sport

Working with Children Check schemes

A person wishing to engage in child-related work must comply with the working with children laws operating in the state or territory in which they operate. These schemes are designed to help organisations assess the level of risk an applicant may pose to children if they were engaged in child-related work. However, as was made abundantly clear by the federal Royal Commission, working with children checks should only be one part of an organisation’s recruitment, selection and screening practices. A working with children check will not make an organisation a safe place for children but are used alongside broader child-safe strategies.

There is no Commonwealth working with children scheme. Each state and territory in Australia has its own scheme. The core elements of each scheme are similar but each has distinct requirements and operates in a particular way. All jurisdictions consider a person’s criminal history, although the specific type of criminal history considered may vary. Australia has three types of checks for child-related work:

  • Working with Children Checks (WWCC)
  • Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP)
  • Criminal history assessments
ACT NSW NT QLD
SA TAS VIC WA