As part of the Victorian Government's ongoing commitment and action to ensure child safety, there have been some law changes to the Working with Children Check (WWCC) scheme.
These updates affect all WWCC clearance card holders who work or volunteer with children if there are adverse regulatory or disciplinary findings against them, as well as individuals with criminal charges and convictions.
Early childhood services have a legal duty to ensure that their workers and volunteers have a valid WWCC or are a registered teacher with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT). It is therefore critical that services continue to keep themselves informed about any changes to the WWCC scheme to ensure they remain compliant with the law.
About the updates
The following changes have been made to the WWCC scheme:
- Suspension powers — the Worker Screening Unit, which administers the WWCC scheme, will now immediately suspend a person’s WWCC clearance if the person is placed on interim exclusion from working with children. Suspended individuals cannot work or volunteer with children until their re-assessment is finalised and a decision is made.
- When a person is suspended, the Worker Screening Unit will notify the individual who holds the clearance and the organisation or employer on record that the holder works or volunteers with. The Worker Screening Unit will also notify the relevant regulatory bodies and agencies as required.
- Interstate bans — anyone excluded from working with children interstate will face an automatic exclusion in Victoria.
- Cancelled WWCC — clearances will be cancelled if applicants provide false or misleading information to obtain it, or if the individual is prohibited from applying for a clearance.
- More time to lay charges — the time limit for charging someone who uses false information to get a WWCC clearance has increased from 12 months to 5 years and 6 months.
Early childhood services’ obligations
Under the Worker Screening Act 2020, it is a criminal offence for a person to engage in child-related work without a valid clearance. It is also an offence for an employer to knowingly employ someone who doesn’t have a valid WWCC clearance. This applies to both workers and volunteers.
Under the Education and Care Services National Regulations and the Victorian Children’s Services Regulations 2020, a person cannot start work or volunteer in an early childhood service while their WWCC application is being processed. They must hold a current WWCC clearance.
All early childhood services must ensure that, before they employ or engage an educator, other staff member or volunteer, the person holds a current WWCC clearance. You must regularly check the WWCC status of all staff and volunteers, and act on any reports or findings from the Worker Screening Unit. You can check their status using the bulk checker on the Service Victoria website, or through the Service Victoria app.
Find out more
For information on scanning and verifying WWCC clearances, visit the Service Victoria website.
For more information on the scheme, visit Organisations and the Working with Children Check or call 1300 652 879 or 132 842 between 9 am and 4 pm, Monday to Friday (except public holidays).
To contact the Worker Screening Unit, send an online enquiry (response within 5 days).
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