Working with Children Check (SA): cost, renewal and employer verification
SA's WWCC in October 2026: $145 for employees, $73.50 for tertiary students, free for volunteers, valid five years, apply again from six months out.
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South Australia's Working with Children Check is run by the Department of Human Services Screening Unit through the Screening SA portal. It lasts five years, and the Screening Unit monitors holders for new information. It costs $145 for employees and $73.50 for tertiary students, and is free for volunteers. Most applications are completed within four weeks.
Key facts (as of October 2026)
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Issuing body | Department of Human Services (DHS) Screening Unit | sa.gov.au |
| Official name | Working with Children Check (WWCC) | sa.gov.au |
| Validity | 5 years from the date the application is finalised; the Screening Unit monitors holders for new information | sa.gov.au |
| Cost (paid) | $145 for employees; $73.50 for tertiary students (non-refundable) | sa.gov.au |
| Cost (volunteer) | Free for volunteers, foster carers and secondary students on work experience | sa.gov.au |
| Processing time | Most applications are completed within 4 weeks; longer with relevant criminal history or National Police Checking Service delays | sa.gov.au |
| Renewal | Apply for a new check once your current one is within 6 months of expiry. Apply before expiry and you may be eligible to keep working while it is processed ('work on re-application') | sa.gov.au |
| Interstate clearances | Visitors with an equivalent home-state check need no SA check for work at an organised event of no more than 10 consecutive days. Work of less than 7 days a year needs no check from the home state either, unless it involves overnight stays or close personal contact with a child with disability | sa.gov.au |
| Apply or renew | Apply or renew in the Screening SA portal | sa.gov.au |
| Status check or register | No public lookup. Organisations verify through their Screening SA organisation portal (Certificate of Interrogation) | sa.gov.au |
| What an employer must do | Register with the Screening Unit, verify each person's WWCC through the organisation portal before they start in a prescribed position, register an interest in them, and keep records | sa.gov.au |
Fees and processing times change, most often once a year. The source column links to the official page each value was checked against in October 2026.
How to apply: Working with Children Check (SA)
- Create your own Screening SA account with your own email address. Accounts and email addresses cannot be shared.
- Apply in the Screening SA portal and complete the application within 28 days of starting it. An incomplete application cancels automatically after 28 days, with no refund.
- Pay $145 as an employee or $73.50 as a tertiary student. Volunteers, foster carers and secondary students on work experience pay nothing; students doing paid work with children apply as employees.
- Most applications are completed within four weeks, longer with relevant criminal history.
- There is no physical card. Your check is identified by its SRN.
How to renew: Working with Children Check (SA)
- Watch for the notification that your check will expire soon. You can apply for a new check once your current one is within six months of expiry.
- Apply through the Screening SA portal. A renewal is a new check, valid for five years from the date it is finalised, not a five-year extension of the old one.
- Apply before your current check expires. You may then keep working while the new application is processed, even if the old check expires: SA calls this 'work on re-application'.
What employers must do
- Identify the prescribed positions in your organisation and keep records of them.
- Register your organisation with the Screening Unit, set up the organisation portal and nominate users to receive notifications.
- Verify each new employee or volunteer's WWCC through the organisation portal before they work in a prescribed position, by generating a Certificate of Interrogation. Sighting the person's outcome email is not enough.
- Register an interest in everyone in a prescribed position so you are emailed if their WWCC status changes, and keep records of when you verified each person.
- Confirm existing staff renew every five years, and remove anyone whose check has expired or who is prohibited from working with children. Not complying is an offence under the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016.
What is specific to South Australia
- Verification is portal-only: SA does not let employers rely on a copy of the outcome email, so every organisation needs a Screening SA organisation account.
- A tertiary student check costs less and stays valid for paid employment until it expires, so students do not upgrade when they start work.
- SA's monitoring draws on SA Police and the Department for Child Protection, and the Screening Unit is told when a person is prohibited from working with children in another state.
What Koora checks
Reviewed. SA verification runs through the Screening SA organisation portal, which is open to registered organisations only, and Koora holds no organisation account, so Koora does not verify an SA WWCC at source. A person reviews the clearance evidence the worker uploads when the worker shares their Career Passport or a provider requests access, or across an organisation's own records where Crew is attached, and Koora tracks the expiry date. An organisation that verifies the clearance through its own Screening SA account records that as its own check, and SA requires each organisation to verify through its portal.
Your team reviews each credential in Koora, or Crew does it for you. The provider keeps the legal responsibility for who they engage.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a Working with Children Check in SA?
$145 for employees and $73.50 for tertiary students. It is free for volunteers, foster carers and secondary students on work experience. The fee is non-refundable.
How long does a WWCC last in South Australia?
Five years from the date the application is finalised. A renewal is a new check rather than an extension of the old one.
When can I renew my SA Working with Children Check?
Once your current check is within six months of expiry. Apply before it expires and you may keep working while the new application is processed.
How do employers verify a WWCC in South Australia?
Through their Screening SA organisation portal, by generating a Certificate of Interrogation. A copy of the worker's outcome email is not accepted as verification.
Can I use an interstate WWCC in South Australia?
For some visits. With an equivalent check from home, you can work at an organised event for no more than 10 consecutive days. Work of less than seven days a year needs no check unless it involves overnight stays or close personal contact with a child with disability. Ongoing work in SA needs an SA check.
Related
- Working With Children Check by state: rules and renewals
- Working with Children Check in every state and territory: the comparison table
- NDIS Worker Check (SA) in South Australia
- National Police Check (SA) in South Australia
- Teacher registration (SA) in South Australia
- Glossary: Working with Children Check
- Which worker check do I need?: pick your sector, role and state
Sources
- https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/rights-and-law/rights-and-responsibilities/screening-checks/screening-wwcc
- https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/rights-and-law/rights-and-responsibilities/screening-checks/screening-wwcc/for-individuals/expiring-check
- https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/rights-and-law/rights-and-responsibilities/screening-checks/screening-wwcc/for-individuals/apply-for-a-check
- https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/rights-and-law/rights-and-responsibilities/screening-checks/screening-wwcc/for-organisations/who-needs-a-check
- https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/rights-and-law/rights-and-responsibilities/screening-checks/screening-wwcc/for-individuals/already-have-a-wwcc-what-you-need-to-know
- https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/rights-and-law/rights-and-responsibilities/screening-checks/screening-wwcc/for-organisations/your-obligations-and-responsibilities
This is general information, not compliance advice. Always confirm requirements with the relevant regulator, and remember that providers keep the legal responsibility to sight credentials and decide who can work.
We work hard to keep everything accurate, and our compliance engine keeps up with the rules as they change. Even so, we might get a detail slightly wrong or miss something. No one's perfect. If you think something here needs updating, email us at resources@koora.care. We would genuinely rather know, because we all do better when we help each other get it right.
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