Working with children checks: an employer's guide by state

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 how employers verify a WWCC in each state, how long each check lasts, what to record, and how to stay on top of renewals so nobody works with an expired check.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm the details with the screening agency in your state.

WWCC by state: names, verification and how long they last

State	Name of the check	How employers verify	Lasts	Renewal
NSW	Working with Children Check	Register as an employer with the Office of the Children's Guardian and verify online	5 years	From 90 days before expiry; re-verify the new clearance
Victoria	Working with Children Check	Status checker now; WWC Connect required from 19 October 2026	Up to 5 years	Worker renews; check status again
Queensland	Blue card	Link the person through the Blue Card Services Organisation Portal or use the validity checker	3 years	Must renew before expiry, or "No Card, No Start" applies
Western Australia	Working with Children Check (WWC Card)	Card validation with card number and family name	3 years	Worker renews; validate the new card
South Australia	Working with Children Check	DHS Screening Unit organisation portal only	5 years	Verify again on renewal
Tasmania	Registration to Work with Vulnerable People (RWVP)	Online status check with registration number and surname; Employer Portal shows expiry dates	5 years	Worker renews; check status again
ACT	Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) registration	Email Access Canberra with the holder's details; check both sides of the card	5 years	Worker renews; record the new expiry
Northern Territory	Working with Children Clearance (Ochre Card)	Online check with full name and date of birth (SAFE NT)	2 years	Worker renews; check again

All periods are as at October 2026.

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 two 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. Keep a record of every verification: the OCG says to hold the worker's full name, WWC number, clearance expiry date and verification status for at least seven years. The employer portal lets you download your verification history as a CSV.

Victoria

You must check a worker's status before they start child-related work. Today that's the online status checker, which needs the first eight characters of the card or application number and the surname. There's also a bulk status checker spreadsheet for larger teams.

Record the check number, expiry date and card type ("E" for employee or "V" for volunteer), and keep any correspondence about your workers. Workers must add your organisation to their check within 21 days of starting.

Changes in October 2026: from 19 October 2026, all employers must use the new WWC Connect online system to verify workers and connect them to their organisation, and mandatory child safety training starts for all clearance holders. See changes to the Working with Children Check.

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. You also need to delink them when they leave and keep an employee register.

Paid employees can start once a completed application has been lodged. Volunteers, trainee students and business operators must hold the card first. If a card expires before it's renewed, "No Card, No Start" applies and the person has to reapply.

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 child-related work, you must verify that they've had a WWCC in the last five years and aren't prohibited. The only way to do this is online through your organisation's DHS Screening Unit portal. Don't accept a paper certificate or email as proof. Record the check and its expiry date with the worker's employment information.

Tasmania, the ACT and the NT

• Tasmania: check RWVP status online before the person starts, using the registration number and surname. Don't rely on the card alone. The RWVP Employer Portal shows your workers' expiry dates.
• ACT: WWVP registration lasts five 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 online with the person's full name and date of birth.

WWCC status check: what to look for

A WWCC status check tells you whether the check is current right now. Every state's checker shows a status, not the history, so:

• Check before the first shift, not after.
• Match the name exactly 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.
• Note the expiry date so you can follow up before it lapses.
• Re-check periodically. A check can be suspended or cancelled between renewals (NSW, for example, monitors clearances continuously), and the card in the worker's wallet won't show it.

National reform is moving in the same direction. In July 2026, Attorneys-General agreed to work towards national minimum standards and a common list of offences that automatically bar someone from holding a check. Expect more continuous checking, not less.

WWCC renewal: whose job is it?

Renewing is the worker's job. Making sure nobody works with an expired check is yours. Renewal windows differ (NSW lets workers start 90 days before expiry), and processing can take weeks, so a reminder sent the week before expiry is too late.

A simple rule: 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 a renewal is in progress. In NSW you also need to re-verify the renewed clearance.

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 face verification against a driver licence. 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.
• Record the full name, check number, type, expiry date, verification date and result.
• Link or register the worker with your organisation where the state requires it (NSW, Queensland, WA, Victoria 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 in NSW).

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 licence and certification management.
• Same workflow for other clearances. Teacher registrations, first aid and CPR, 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 new 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.