Victoria is strengthening the Working with Children (WWC) Check. There are new mandatory requirements that apply to all organisations that perform child-related work.
From Monday 19 October 2026:
- organisations will have a new legal requirement to notify the Social Services Regulator (SSR) about workers and volunteers they engage to work with children using a new online system ‘WWC Connect’
- the SSR will require individuals applying for or renewing their WWC Clearance to complete a mandatory online child safety training module.
These reforms respond to recommendations from the Rapid Child Safety Review. They will strengthen the safeguards that help organisations to make decisions about the people they engage to work or volunteer with children.
Working with Children Connect
WWC Connect will allow organisations to connect workers they engage for child-related work. This will help organisations:
- provide accurate information to the SSR about the people they engage
- receive notifications if a worker or volunteer’s WWC Clearance status changes.
The information organisations need to include in WWC Connect:
- name
- WWC Check card number
- address
- email address
- telephone number.
To read more about the changes, refer to Working with Children (WWC) Connect.
What you need to do
To comply with new WWC Connect requirements, from Monday 19 October 2026 organisations must:
- Check – use the WWC status checker to verify a person’s WWC Clearance before they start work
- Connect – when ready to formally engage, connect them to the organisation through WWC Connect
- Record – keep appropriate records to show they have completed the required checks and connection
- Maintain – keep the organisation’s WWC Connect records up to date as workers start or stop doing child-related work and if their contact details change.
Organisations are required to update WWC Connect when cardholders start or finish child-related work with the service, or when there is a change of relevant details. Organisations will have 7 days to update information for workers and 21 days for volunteers from when an event occurs.
Organisations are encouraged, but not required, to add all existing staff and volunteers with a WWC Clearance to WWC Connect. Doing so will ensure receipt of notifications where a staff member or volunteer’s WWC Clearance status changes, meaning they are no longer permitted to work with children.
Organisations are not required to add labour hire agency staff to WWC Connect. This is the responsibility of the labour hire agency.
Early childhood teachers registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) continue to be exempt from the requirement to hold a valid WWC Clearance to engage in child related work. However, organisations must notify the SSR if they engage a VIT-registered teacher to undertake child-related work outside of their teaching role, for example, as a volunteer.
WWC Connect is a new requirement of the Victorian SSR. Approved providers must also continue to provide staff and volunteer information, including WWC Check card numbers, to the National Early Childhood Worker Register, as required by the National Law. This is managed by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority, in accordance with the National Law.
Working with Children child safety training
Mandatory Working with Children child safety training will also be required from Monday 19 October 2026. The training is mandatory for:
- new WWC Check applicants
- people renewing their WWC Clearance
- people changing from a volunteer WWC Clearance to an employee WWC Clearance.
Individuals will need to complete the training before their WWC Check application can be finalised. The training responds to recommendations from the Rapid Child Safety Review and will help build a consistent understanding of child safety responsibilities across Victoria’s child-related workforce.
The training is an online, self-paced course. It takes about 45 minutes to complete at the Services Victoria website. It is suitable for all sectors and settings that need a WWC Clearance.
For more information, visit: Mandatory Child Safety Training for Working with Children Clearance holders.
Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are not responsible for managing the completion of WWC child safety training for staff or volunteers. The SSR will communicate directly with WWC cardholders about this requirement when their card is due for renewal.
The WWC child safety training does not replace ECEC sector-specific training that must be completed by relevant staff and volunteers under the National Law. For information on these requirements, refer to: Child protection and child safety training in early childhood.
How to prepare for the changes
Ahead of Monday 19 October 2026, early childhood providers and services should:
- check that staff and volunteers’ WWC Clearance information is accurate and up to date
- use the WWC status checker to verify the clearance details for your cardholders is accurate
- prepare to add staff and volunteers to WWC Connect when it becomes available:
- a template will be available to support bulk upload of cardholder information to WWC Connect
- you will need know an individual’s name, WWC Check card number, address, email address and phone number
- ensure anyone in the organisation who manages staff recruitment, contractors, sole traders and volunteers is aware of the changes
- inform staff and volunteers about the Working with Children mandatory training requirement where relevant.
Find out more
To read more about the changes, refer to: Working with Children (WWC) Connect.
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