Is your Working with Children Check expiring soon?

Time to reapply for your Working with Children Check?

Stronger, more effective and transparent screening laws came into effect in South Australia in 2019, requiring people who work or volunteer in child-related roles to have a Working with Children Check (WWCC).

A WWCC is valid for five years. If yours expires in the next six months, it’s time to apply again. You must apply for a new WWCC and receive clearance before your check expire to continue doing child-related work in South Australia.

Apply online at sa​.gov​.au/wwcc. You’ll need to provide:

• any previous names you’ve had, including maiden names, aliases or nicknames
• your address details for the last five years
• proof of ID

Learn more at sa​.gov​.au/​s​c​r​e​ening.

Working with Children Checks help keep kids safe in our communities. Thank you for doing your part!

Check out the most frequently asked questions below:

How do I know when my check expires?

The Screening Unit in the Department of Human Services will try to contact you by SMS and email up to 6 months before your current check expires – but you don’t have to wait to hear from them to act. You can go online now to find out the expiry date of your check and update your contact details. Go to www​.sa​.gov​.au/wwcc.

How do I apply for a WWCC?

Apply online at www​.sa​.gov​.au/wwcc. You’ll need to provide:

• any previous names you’ve had, including maiden names, aliases or nicknames
• your address details for the last five years
• proof of ID

Most people can verify their identity online with their driver’s licence plus 1 of the following:

• Australian passport
• Australian birth certificate
• Australian citizenship certificate.

If you don’t have these documents, allow extra time to take other proof of ID to a verifying officer.

How long will it take for my application to be processed?

Allow at least 3 months for your application to be processed. Complex applications may take longer. You must verify your ID and pay the fee (if applicable) before your application can be processed.

Will my employer apply on my behalf or should I apply myself?

Check with your manager or HR department.

Does everyone who works with children need a WWCC?

You need a Working with Children Check if you are 14 or over and you do:

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

You also need a Working with Children Check if you run a business where employees or volunteers do child-related work.

Parents or guardians do not require a Working with Children Check if the child-related work is voluntary and involves their own child.

What is child-related work?

It can include a wide range of industries and roles, such as:

• foster care and child protection services
• Childcare or child-minding services
• Clubs and associations with significant membership or involvement of children
• Coaching or tuition services for children
• Commercial services provided to children (eg, play gyms, bouncy castles, face painting, photography of children)
• Disability services for children
• Education services, including pre-school , primary and secondary teachers, and Department for Education employees
• Emergency services
• Health services for children
• Justice and detention services for children
• The provision of traffic control at, or other supervision of, school pedestrian crossings.
• Transport services for children
• Services or activities provided by religious organisations

The following is NOT child-related work:

• Where the service or activity is provided for a personal or domestic service. For example, if a grandparent, aunt or uncle provides care to a child while their parent is out.
• Where you employ or supervise a child in the course of a service or activity that is not child-related work. For example, the owner of, or a supervisor at, a supermarket that employs or supervises children. Here, the service being provided is not child-related work.
• Where you undertake the service or activity in the same capacity as a child. For example, an adult playing in a football team alongside a child does not need a Working with Children Check (however, they do need a Working with Children Check if they are coaching or volunteering in some other capacity for the football club).

Any other service or activity in the course of which contact with children occurs incidentally or would not reasonably be expected to occur.

For further advice, call the Business Advice Hotline on (08) 8300 0000 (select option 1) if you are a South Australian Business Chamber Member.