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Who needs a Working with Children Check
You need a Working with Children Check (WWCC) if you work, or intend to work, as an employee or volunteer, in a child-related area.
It's an offence to do child-related work without a WWCC.
More information about who needs a WWCC
Expiring Working with Children Checks
WWCCs are valid for 5 years.
If you received a notification that your WWCC will expire soon, you need to apply for a new check and receive clearance before your current check expires, to be able to continue working with children.
You can apply for a new WWCC check if your existing check will expire within 6 months.
Before you apply
Confirm you don't have an existing WWCC that has more than 6 months left before its expiry date.
Conduct a WWCC search to see whether you have a valid WWCC.
The search needs your Unique ID (SRN). You can search your Unique ID if you know the email address that you used in your application.
If you're not sure whether you have a WWCC, you can contact the Screening Unit.
If you apply for a WWCC, you do not need to apply for a vulnerable person-related employment check, or a general employment probity check.
Who can apply
Individuals
You can apply for a WWCC if you work, or intend to work, as an employee or volunteer in a child-related area.
You can apply for a new WWCC if your existing check will expire within 6 months.
Sole traders, contractors or self-employed workers
If you're a sole trader, contractor or self-employed, and you don't employ workers or volunteers, you can apply for a check as an individual.
If you're a sole trader, contractor or self-employed and you do employ workers or volunteers, you can register as an organisation to apply for a screening check for yourself and initiate your employees' checks.
Employers and organisations
An employer can initiate a WWCC on behalf of a current or prospective employee or volunteer.
To do this, your organisation needs to be registered with the Screening Unit. Once you have registered, you can start applications on behalf of individuals.
Register with the screening unit
Before you start an application on behalf of an individual, you will need to know:
- what type of check you need to apply for
- that the individual has given their consent for your organisation to do a check
- the individual’s full name, date of birth and email address.
When you have completed the organisation component of the application, the Screening Unit will email login and password details to the individual, to complete and submit the application.
Organisations that initiate WWCCs have the option to use organisation-verified ID if a verifying officer has been nominated.
Individuals
You can apply for a WWCC if you work, or intend to work, as an employee or volunteer in a child-related area.
You can apply for a new WWCC if your existing check will expire within 6 months.
Sole traders, contractors or self-employed workers
If you're a sole trader, contractor or self-employed, and you don't employ workers or volunteers, you can apply for a check as an individual.
If you're a sole trader, contractor or self-employed and you do employ workers or volunteers, you can register as an organisation to apply for a screening check for yourself and initiate your employees' checks.
Employers and organisations
An employer can initiate a WWCC on behalf of a current or prospective employee or volunteer.
To do this, your organisation needs to be registered with the Screening Unit. Once you have registered, you can start applications on behalf of individuals.
Register with the screening unit
Before you start an application on behalf of an individual, you will need to know:
- what type of check you need to apply for
- that the individual has given their consent for your organisation to do a check
- the individual’s full name, date of birth and email address.
When you have completed the organisation component of the application, the Screening Unit will email login and password details to the individual, to complete and submit the application.
Organisations that initiate WWCCs have the option to use organisation-verified ID if a verifying officer has been nominated.
Information for employers and organisations
Employers and organisations have an important role to play in safeguarding children, by ensuring employees or volunteer who work with them have a valid WWCC. The following pages provide more information on your responsibilities.
Manage WWCC expiry and renewal using the DHS Organisation Portal
Continuous monitoring of checks
After a WWCC clearance is granted, information sources from bodies including SA Police and Department for Child Protection are monitored for any new information relevant to a person's check status. The SA Screening Unit is also notified when a person is prohibited from working with children in another state or territory.
If new information means a person's clearance status is changed or revoked, the person and all known organisations will be notified.
Notifying changes
Both workers who have a WWCC and their employer or organisation have legal obligations to notify the Screening Unit of certain information.
Worker responsibilities
If you have had a WWCC, you must notify the Screening Unit if any of the following occur:
- you change your name, or start using another name or names
- you change your address or contact details
- you become prohibited from working with children in another state or territory
- you become a registrable offender under the Child Sex Offenders Registration Act 2006
- you make a disclosure to your employer under section 66 of the Child Sex Offenders Registration Act 2006
- there is a change in the assessable information relating to you and the information arose after your most recent WWCC. Assessable information includes, but is not limited to, criminal charges, criminal convictions and findings of guilt, child protection matters, disciplinary and misconduct matters, cancellation of an approval as a foster parent, intervention orders, and restraining orders.
It's an offence (with a maximum penalty of $50,000) to refuse or fail to notify the Screening Unit of this information.
Before you can notify the Screening Unit, you'll need to verify your customer details with the Screening Unit. This ensures that you are the right person and that the right details are being changed or updated. Once verified you will be sent an email with a link that will allow you to notify the Screening Unit of a change in information.
Receipt of any of the above information may result in the Screening Unit conducting an additional WWCC in relation to you and a change in your WWCC status.
Employer/organisation responsibilities
Employers have additional obligations under the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016 . For any prescribed position, where it's reasonably foreseeable that a person will work with children, employers must do the following.
Advise the Screening Unit if you become aware of any assessable information in relation that an employee.
Employers are required to make a report to the Screening Unit if they become aware that a person they are employing in a prescribed position:
- has new assessable information. For example, the person has been charged with or found guilty of an offence or is subject to disciplinary or misconduct proceedings, an intervention or restraining order
- is prohibited from working with children in another State or Territory
- becomes a registrable offender under the Child Sex Offenders Registration Act 2006, or
- makes a disclosure to you under section 66 of the Child Sex Offenders Registration Act 2006.
This is known as a section 19 report, and can be made through your organisation portal. It's an offence (with a maximum penalty of $25,000) to refuse or fail to notify the Screening Unit of this information.
Information for parents
People you personally engage to work directly with your children must have a WWCC.
Prohibition notices
A prohibition notice will be issued by the Screening Unit (Central Assessment Unit) where it determines the person who applied for a WWCC poses an unacceptable risk to children and is prohibited from working with children. Notices are sent to an applicant's personal email address, or via registered post.
Right of review
If you have been issued with a prohibition notice you may be able to apply directly to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT) to review the decision of the Screening Unit to issue the prohibition notice (conditions apply).
The application to SACAT should be made within 14 days after the prohibition notice is received. SACAT may allow an extension of time in certain circumstances.
Revocation
You may apply to the Screening Unit to have a prohibition notice revoked if:
- the prohibition notice was issued in error - eg mistaken identity
- there is fresh and compelling assessable information that, if assessed in the course of the original WWCC, would have materially affected the determination to prohibit you.
You will need to provide evidence to support your application such as court documents or transcripts, police reports, professional reports or assessments, or statutory declarations.
You can not apply to have your prohibition notice revoked if:
- you have been found guilty of a prescribed offence committed as an adult (unless the conviction is now spent)
- you are prohibited from working with children under the law of the Commonwealth, or of another state or territory.
The Screening Unit may refuse to consider an application to revoke a prohibition notice if an application to revoke the same notice has been considered in the last 5 years.
Email DHS.ScreeningUnitPolicy@sa.gov.au to apply for a revocation.
Related information
Contact
Online
Contact the Screening Unit with any queries about new or existing screening checks.
Phone
1300 321 592
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
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