Working With Children

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