Working with Children Checks: What do I need to know?

You need a WWCC if you’re over 18 and you work or volunteer at a place with children.

For example, if you work or volunteer:

• in places like schools, childcare centres or libraries, or
• with kids doing sport or overnight camps as a school bus driver or a school cleaner.

You usually don’t need one if you volunteer at a place where your child, or a child who is your close relative, goes.

You need one if you care for children as an authorised carer.

You are usually an authorised carer if you care for children in your home as a guardian, under a kinship arrangement or as a foster carer.

If you want to be an authorised carer, and other adults live in your home, they’ll need a WWCC too even if those adults are your own children.

You usually don’t need a WWCC:

• if you are looking after your kids, or kids who are related to you, and
• there is no court order, and
• the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) are not involved.

You can apply on the Service NSW website via Apply for a Working with Children Check.

Select the 'Apply online' button.

Complete the online form ensuring the name you enter matches your identity documents exactly.

Visit a Service NSW Centre to present your original identity documents and (if applicable) pay the fee.

You will need four proof of identity (POI) documents including:

• one commencement of identity document, i.e. birth certificate, passport
• one primary use in the community document, i.e. driver licence, and
• two secondary use in the community documents, i.e. medicare card, bank card.

At least one of your documents must contain your signature and photo.

Your POI documents must be current and original. Make sure your IDs spell your name the same way.

Ask Service NSW if you have any questions or visit Proof of identity on the Office of the Children’s Guardian website.

It’s free if you are a volunteer, an authorised carer or an adult living in an authorised carer’s home.

Otherwise check the fees via Working with Children Check on the Office of the Children’s Guardian website.

You may be able to get a WWCC even if you have a criminal record. The OCG will look at your criminal history. If they think you won’t be a risk to children then you can still get a WWCC.

Yes. But sometimes the employer or place where you want to volunteer may not allow you to start until you get a WWCC.

If DCJ or another agency placed a child with you, you must apply to become an authorised carer no later than five days after the child comes to live with you.

The OCG will check if you have ever been charged with, or convicted of, a criminal offence―even if a court dismissed the charges or said you were not guilty.

The OCG will give you a WWCC unless:

• you have been convicted of a serious offence—like murder, sexual or indecent assault, or the assault of a child.
• they do a risk assessment and decide that you are a risk to children. See What is a risk assessment? below.

Sometimes the OCG will put an interim bar on you. This means that you can’t work or volunteer with, or care for, children while the OCG decides if they will give you a WWCC.

This is when the OCG looks at your criminal history or workplace misconduct record to decide if you would be a risk to children.

They can look at:

• your history of apprehended violence orders (AVOs) and assaults
• statements that people made about you to DCJ or other government departments
• if you were ever charged with an offence by police
• charges that were withdrawn or dismissed
• offences you were found not guilty of, and
• your criminal history from when you were under 18.

They will also look at:

• how serious your offences were
• when your last offence was
• how old you were
• how old the victim was
• your relationship with the victim
• what you’ve done since then (for example, did you do a course or see a psychologist to help you not to offend again), and
• how likely you are to offend again.

The OCG will write to you to tell you what information they have about you. They will ask you to explain what you have been doing since the offence or allegation.

Speak to a lawyer as soon as possible.

You may be able to appeal the OCG’s decision, but you only have 28 days to do that.

For more information about appeals, see Working with Children Checks: Not happy with a decision?

No. You will have to wait five years to apply again unless you can show the OCG that there has been a big change in your life that means you are not a risk to children.

It lasts for five years. You need to apply again every five years if you want to keep working or volunteering with, or caring for, children.

The OCG can cancel your WWCC if they think you are a risk to children.