Working with Children Checks are legally required for child-related work

If a person is engaging in child-related work, it is a legal requirement under the Worker Screening Act 2020 that they must, at a minimum, have a valid Working with Children Clearance unless an exemption applies (see below).

Child-related work is defined in the Worker Screening Act 2020 as work that:

involves an adult working with children under 18 years old (both paid and unpaid work)
usually involves direct contact with a child or children, including physical, face-to-face, written, oral or electronic contact and
the contact with the child or children is a usual part of the person’s duties and is not occasional direct contact which is incidental to their work.

An activity may be ‘child-related work’ regardless of whether the contact with a child is supervised by another person or not. This means even if a volunteer or visitor is supervised by a teacher, they must still have (and provide evidence of) a current Working with Children Clearance if they are performing ‘child-related work’.

Examples of child-related work activities

Attendant care
School camps
Excursions (including swimming)
Literacy and numeracy support
Homework clubs, breakfast clubs, lunch clubs, leadership or cultural workshops and other student support activities
Distance education
Work in an early childhood education and care service on school grounds (for example, kindergarten or playgroup)

Examples of child-related work roles

Classroom or library assistant
Sporting, musical and other extracurricular coaches
Canteen and uniform shop assistant
Allied health or NDIS therapists
Department staff who are working with children
Special Religious Instruction instructors
Chaplains
School camp or excursion support
Mentors and guides from partner organisations
Volunteering in the classroom (in any capacity)

Reference: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/suitability-checks/guidance

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