To verify a Working with Children Check (WWCC), use the online checker run by the screening agency in the state where the person will work, then record the check number, expiry date and result before they start. Each state runs its own check with its own name, length and renewal rules, so a check from one state doesn't cover child-related work in another.
This guide sets out WWCC verification in each state, how to check WWCC status, how long each check lasts, when it must be renewed and what to record, so nobody works with an expired check. Details are as at October 2026.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm the details with the screening agency in your state.
WWCC verification by state: names, portals and how long they last
| State | Name of the check | Where employers verify | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Working with Children Check | OCG employer portal (register once, then verify online) | 5 years |
| Victoria | Working with Children Clearance | WWC status checker, plus WWC Connect from 19 October 2026 | 5 years |
| Queensland | Blue card | Blue Card Services Organisation Portal and the blue card validity checker | 3 years |
| Western Australia | Working with Children Check (WWC Card) | Card validation with card number and family name | 3 years |
| South Australia | Working with Children Check | DHS Screening Unit organisation portal only | 5 years |
| Tasmania | Registration to Work with Vulnerable People (RWVP) | Check RWVP status or the RWVP Employer Portal | 5 years |
| ACT | Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) registration | Confirm with Access Canberra; check both sides of the card | 5 years |
| Northern Territory | Working with Children Clearance (Ochre Card) | SAFE NT online services, with full name and date of birth | 2 years |
All periods are as at October 2026. Renewal windows are in the WWCC renewal section below.
WWCC verification: how it works in each state
New South Wales
NSW checks are run by the Office of the Children's Guardian (OCG). Your organisation registers once in the online employer system and nominates people who'll be told if a worker becomes barred. Verifying is a legal requirement and there's a fine for not doing it.
You verify when the worker applies, when they're cleared, and again when they renew after five years. A worker can only do child-related work if their status shows Cleared or Application in progress. Any other status means they can't. NSW clearances are continuously monitored, so the OCG will tell you if a cleared worker is later barred.
What to record: the worker's full name, date of birth, WWC number, clearance expiry date, the date you verified it and the verification status. Update the record when the clearance is renewed, and keep it for at least seven years after the worker stops child-related work for you. The employer portal lets you download your verification history as a CSV.
Victoria
You must check a worker's clearance before they start child-related work. Use the online WWC status checker on Service Victoria, which needs the card or application number and the surname. A digital card's QR code can also be scanned in the Service Victoria app to show whether it's current. There's a bulk status checker for larger teams.
Changes from 19 October 2026: all organisations, including sole traders, must use the new WWC Connect online system to connect the workers and volunteers they engage in child-related work, and mandatory online child safety training starts for anyone applying for or renewing a clearance. The official guidance is now three steps: check, connect, keep records. See changes to the Working with Children Check.
What to record: the check number, expiry date and card type ("E" for employee or "V" for volunteer), the date you checked it, and keep your WWC Connect records up to date as people start and stop child-related work with you.
Queensland: blue cards
A blue card lasts three years unless it's suspended or cancelled. Before someone starts, you must check they hold a valid blue card (or exemption card), take reasonable steps to confirm their identity, and link them to your organisation through the Organisation Portal or a paper link form. Queensland's rule is "No Card. No Link. No Start." Delink them when they leave.
What to record: Queensland requires an employee register covering all paid employees, volunteers and business operators: name, date of birth, whether they need a blue card or exemption card, and for those who do, the application status, card number and expiry date. The Organisation Portal fills in some of it for you, and Blue Card Services can ask to see it.
Western Australia
A WWC Card lasts three years. Sight the card, keep a copy, record the details, validate it online with the card number and family name, and tell the WWC Screening Unit when the person starts or stops child-related work with you. While a card is in the post, the worker can give you their number so you can validate it.
South Australia
Before engaging someone in a prescribed position, you must verify that they've had a WWCC in the last five years and aren't prohibited from working with children. The only way to do this is online through your organisation's DHS Screening Unit portal, using the worker's full name, date of birth and Screening Reference Number (SRN). The portal produces a Certificate of Interrogation as your evidence. Don't accept a paper certificate or the worker's outcome email as proof.
What to record: the SRN, the verification result and the expiry date with the worker's employment information. Existing staff need re-verifying every five years.
Tasmania
Check RWVP status online before the person starts, using the registration number and surname, or through the RWVP Employer Portal, which shows your workers' status and expiry dates. Tasmania's employer obligations say not to accept the card itself as proof, to re-check status regularly, and to make sure your organisation is added to the worker's registration within 10 working days.
ACT and the NT
- ACT: WWVP registration lasts five years (people issued a three-year registration from 1 July 2019 had it extended by two years). Check both sides of the card to make sure the registration type covers the role, confirm validity with Access Canberra, and set reminders before each expiry.
- NT: the Ochre Card lasts two years, the shortest of any state. Check clearances through SAFE NT's online services with the person's full name and date of birth, and record the card number and expiry date.
How to check WWCC status
A WWCC status check tells you whether the check is current right now. The steps are much the same in every state:
- Get the details from the worker: their check, card or registration number and their surname exactly as it appears on the check (the NT uses full name and date of birth).
- Use the official checker for the state where they'll work (see the table above), not a photo of the card.
- Read the status. Only proceed if it shows current or cleared (or, in NSW, "Application in progress").
- Match the name to the worker's ID. A mismatch means you've got the wrong record.
- Look at the type. Victorian cards are employee or volunteer; ACT registrations cover specific kinds of activity.
- Record the result with the date and the expiry date so you can follow up before it lapses.
Then re-check periodically. A check can be suspended or cancelled between renewals, and the card in the worker's wallet won't show it. NSW and South Australia monitor clearances continuously and notify linked organisations; elsewhere, a regular status check is your safety net.
National reform is moving the same way. Attorneys-General have agreed a national baseline of serious offences that will automatically bar someone from holding a check, and minimum standards for how states assess risk. Expect more continuous checking, not less.
WWCC renewal: periods and windows by state
Renewing is the worker's job. Making sure nobody works with an expired check is yours. Processing can take weeks, so a reminder sent the week before expiry is too late.
| State | Lasts | When the worker can renew | If it lapses |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 5 years | OCG sends a reminder 90 days before expiry; renew online | Don't roster child-related work unless the portal shows Cleared or Application in progress; re-verify the renewed clearance |
| Victoria | 5 years | From 6 months before to 3 months after expiry, through Service Victoria; child safety training required from 19 October 2026 | More than 3 months after expiry means a new application |
| Queensland | 3 years | Up to 16 weeks before expiry; reminder 10 weeks out. Renew on time and they can keep working while it's assessed | "No Card. No Link. No Start." applies and they must reapply |
| WA | 3 years | Before the expiry date, online if eligible | Working with an expired card is an offence |
| SA | 5 years | Up to 6 months before expiry; the Screening Unit notifies linked organisations | Can't continue in a prescribed position |
| Tasmania | 5 years | From the renewal reminder (generally 30 days before expiry) | Can't work while expired; after 30 days it's a new application |
| ACT | 5 years | On or before the expiry date, through Access Canberra | Record the new expiry once renewed |
| NT | 2 years | No more than 2 months before (or after) expiry | The 2 months after expiry isn't a grace period; the card has expired |
All windows are as at October 2026. A simple rule that works in every state: remind workers 90 days out, follow up at 30 days, and stop rostering them for child-related work the day the check expires unless the state allows work while an on-time renewal is processed. After renewal, verify the new check and update the expiry date on your record.
WWCC ID requirements
Workers prove their identity when they apply, not when you verify. Each state asks for its own mix of photo ID and documents, and some (like NSW) offer digital identity verification. As the employer, your ID job is simpler: make sure the name on the check matches the person in front of you. Queensland makes this an explicit obligation for blue cards.
Employer obligations checklist
- Confirm whether the role is child-related work under your state's law.
- Verify the check online before the person starts. If they hold a visa, run a VEVO check for employers at the same time.
- Record the full name, date of birth, check number, type, expiry date, verification date and result.
- Link or connect the worker with your organisation where the state requires it (NSW, Queensland, SA, Tasmania, WA, and Victoria through WWC Connect from 19 October 2026).
- Track expiry dates and chase renewals early.
- Re-check periodically and when a worker changes roles.
- Delink or notify the agency when the worker leaves.
- Keep the records (at least seven years after the worker leaves child-related work in NSW).
If your staff also work on building sites or operate plant, the same discipline applies to a White Card check and a high risk work licence check.
How Canyou handles this
Canyou is employee onboarding software for licence-heavy teams, including schools, early learning and training providers and aged care. Onboarding gets them into payroll. It doesn't keep them legal to work. Here's how Canyou helps with WWCCs:
- Collected at onboarding. New staff upload their Working with Children Check (or blue card, WWVP or RWVP) from their phone in the same link as their TFN declaration, super and bank details.
- Verification recorded. Your admin verifies the check on the state portal and records the result and expiry date against the worker, so the evidence sits with their file.
- Tracked to expiry. Canyou tracks every check, registration and certificate to its expiry date and reminds the worker before it lapses. See our licence tracking software.
- Same workflow for other clearances. Teacher registrations, first aid and CPR, White Cards for facilities and maintenance staff, and aged care or NDIS worker screening records sit in the same place.
- Audit-ready. Every upload and signature is time-stamped, with sensitive data stored in Australia and never sold.
For a full list of what to collect from a new starter, see our employee onboarding checklist. Ready to stop tracking checks in a spreadsheet? Try for free, or book a demo and we'll show you how it works for your team.
