Working with Children Check - What is the WWC Check?

What is the WWC Check?

The WWC Check is a rigorous and continuous employment screening scheme with significant powers to remove people from child-related work.

A WA WWC Check is valid for three years and can be used across all categories of child-related work and all forms of employment in WA and the Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. This means that once an individual has a WWC Check, they can use it for all the child-related work they do, whether as a paid employee, unpaid student on placement or as a volunteer.

A WA WWC Check cannot be used in other Australian states and territories.

Only individuals who are engaging in child-related work, as defined in the Act, and no exemption applies, are eligible for a WWC Check.

When an individual is not in child-related work they are still complying with the Act in WA by not applying for a WWC Check. An organisation’s policy cannot override the Act, and other child safety strategies should be used.

Over-capturing by an organisation may result in the individual losing the cost of their application fee. Refer to the WWC Check: Reducing, Refunding and Waiving of Fees Policy for further information.

Information for parents and guardians

Parents and guardians information page

Obligations

Organisations and individuals have obligations to comply with the Act. By complying with the Act, organisations and individuals are also helping to create a safer environment for children in WA and the Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

WWC Screening Unit

The WWC Screening Unit has an obligation to uphold the highest standards of screening and assessment, procedural fairness and have the best interests of children as its paramount consideration.

The WWC Screening Unit is also mandated under the Act to enforce compliance, see the About the WWC Screening Unit page for more information on our compliance programs.

Individuals

The obligations of individuals and the penalties that apply are outlined in the Act. They include:

• not engaging in child-related work without a current WWC Card or pending application
• not engaging in child-related work with a current negative notice, interim negative notice, or a conviction of a Class 1 offence committed as an adult
• not accessing the child volunteer or parent volunteer exemption or the unpaid student on placement under 18 years of age exemption with a current negative notice, interim negative notice or adverse interstate WWC decision.
• not accessing the short term visitor to WA or one-off national events and national tours exemptions with an adverse interstate WWC decision.
• providing written notice to the WWC Screening Unit of a relevant change in criminal record as soon as practicable after the change occurs
• not providing false or misleading information to the WWC Screening Unit or the organisation engaging the individual in child-related work
• notifying the WWC Screening Unit of a change in particulars as soon as practical after the change occurs; refer to Factsheet APP02: Change in particulars, updating of details.

Organisations

The obligations of organisations and the penalties that apply are outlined in the Act. They include:

• not engaging an individual in child-related work, or procuring child-related work for an individual, without a current WWC Card or pending application.
• not engaging an individual in child-related work, or procuring child-related work for an individual, if the organisation is aware that the individual has a negative notice, interim negative notice or adverse interstate WWC decision.
• not engaging an individual in child-related work using the child volunteer or parent volunteer exemption, or the unpaid student on placement under 18 years of age exemption, if the organisation is aware that the individual has a negative notice, interim negative notice or an adverse interstate WWC decision.
• not engaging an individual in child-related work using the short term visitor to WA or the one-off national events and national tours exemptions if the organisation is aware that the individual has an adverse interstate WWC decision.
• not providing false or misleading information to the WWC Screening Unit.

Good record keeping is essential to an organisation’s ability to demonstrate compliance with the WWC legislation. A template record keeping spreadsheet and compliance toolkits can be found on our Resources page to assist organisations with WWC Check record keeping.

The WWC Check Compliance Toolkit has been designed for organisations to use as an induction to their compliance requirements under the Act.  It can also be used as an induction for individuals who are assigned responsibility for WWC Checks within the organisation.