Working With Children Checks Blog

Working With Children and Vulnerable People Checks are designed to ensure that the right people are chosen to work with those who are most vulnerable in our community. Unfortunately, implementing a program to administer these checks within any business is not a straight forward process. The Australian Government Department of Social Services defines vulnerable persons as a child or children; or an individual aged 18 years and above who may be unable to take care of themselves or protect themselves against harm or exploitation by reason of age, illness, trauma or disability, or any other reason. Therefore, roles that require a check include, but are not limited to, childcare or child protection services workers, nurses, teacher’s aides, volunteer coaches of youth sporting teams, scout leaders, aged care workers, and more. Unfortunately, there is no one national check that covers an individual worker across every State in Australia. For example, an employee who legally requires a check, who works in both Victoria and Tasmania, would need both a Victorian Working With Children Check and a Tasmanian Working With Vulnerable People Check. Additionally, through this example, we can see that the different Australian States and Territories have alternative names for their checks: Working With Children Check Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia Working With Vulnerable People Check Tasmania and the ACT Adding to administrative complications, in some States and Territories there are different application processes, and different checks for both paid and volunteer workers. Some States provide a physical card, and others simply supply online recognition. Finally, individual registration status may be updated (that is, revoked) at any time throughout the registration currency period. Ultimately, the result of a Working With Children or Vulnerable People Check is either a clearance for an individual to proceed with working with children and vulnerable groups, or being barred from doing so.