Overview
Everyone working with children must hold a current Working With Children Check (WWCC) or be a registered teacher with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT). This includes volunteers.
It is a criminal offence to work in an early childhood service without one of these registrations.
Applications that are still pending or in progress are not acceptable.
This applies to:
- staff – including casual staff from agencies
- nominated supervisors
- persons with management or control
- persons in day to day charge
- volunteers and students
More information about the requirements for organisations around the WWCC can be found on the Working with Children Check Victoria (WWCCV) website.
Educators and volunteers under 18 years of age
People aged under 18 years are exempt from holding a WWCC.
In this case the educator or volunteer must be under the immediate supervision of an educator aged 18 or over.
Contractors and other visitors
Early childhood services may establish local policies to increase requirements for contractors such as those engaged in maintenance or gardening and other visitors to their service.
The Worker Screening Act 2020 (Vic) sets out the minimum requirements in relation to Working with Children Checks.
Services may also require anyone visiting the service (such as maintenance staff or gardeners) to hold a Working with Children Check, and/or other checks, to ensure that visitors are adequately screened, considering the child safety risks relevant to the person’s role.
For more guidance on circumstances when a Working with Children Check is required under the Worker Screening Act 2020, visit Working with Children Check Victoria.
Approved providers from other jurisdictions
Where provider approval has been granted in a state other than Victoria, the approved provider’s person with management or control and anyone listed as a company director are required to obtain a WWCC if they will be directly providing education and care to children in Victoria.
Read more about the process and requirements to become an approved provider.
The WWCC or VIT must be checked before commencing
You must check the status of your worker’s or volunteers WWCC or VIT registration before they start working. This must be done by
- the approved provider, or
- the nominated supervisor, or
- a person in day-to-day charge of the education and care service.
This applies to:
- educators
- registered teachers
- students on placement
- other staff who work in an early childhood service such as cooks and administration staff
- volunteers.
Approved providers must check these details for anyone they appoint as:
- a nominated supervisor, or
- a person in day-to-day charge of the education and care service.
Organisations should also regularly check the status of the WWCCs of their workers and volunteers. This can be easily done through the Service Victoria website and app.
For VIT registered teachers, organisations can check their registration status through the VIT’s register.
For more information for your organisation including how to manage workers’ WWCCs please view what organisations need to know.
For more information on legal obligations around the WWCC, please view legal obligations for organisations.
Suspension or cancellation of a WWCC or VIT registration must be notified
An approved provider must notify the Regulatory Authority in writing if the WWCC or VIT registration of anyone working at the service is suspended or cancelled.
It is an offence under the National Law to fail to notify.
For more information on legal obligations around the WWCC including where a worker has had their WWCC suspended or revoked, please view legal obligations for organisations.
Maintaining records
Approved providers must ensure that they keep the following details on the staff record:
- the identifying number and
- expiry date of either a WWCC or VIT registration for each staff member.
The same details must be kept for the nominated supervisor.
For more information, please view managing workers’ checks.
Applying for provider approval – fitness and propriety
A current WWCC is also required as part of the application to become an approved provider:
- each person with management or control
- each person listed as a company director (if the applicant is a company).
Read more about the process and requirements to become an approved provider.
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