Documents you need to start working in care
A cross-sector checklist of the documents and checks you need before your first shift in Aged Care, disability or childcare, and why screening is the bottleneck.
Starting work in care means assembling a small stack of documents before your first shift. The exact list depends on your sector and role, but the building blocks are similar across Aged Care, disability and childcare: proof of identity, the right screening, current first aid, and any orientation or training your role requires.
This guide walks through the cross-sector starter checklist, explains why screening is usually the bottleneck, and shows how a Career Passport lets you assemble these once and reuse them.
Proof of identity (the 100 point check)
Most screening applications and provider onboarding start with a 100 point identity check. You add up points from documents you can produce, and the total must reach 100, with at least one carrying a photograph.
- Primary documents (70 points): birth certificate, citizenship certificate, or current passport.
- Secondary documents with a photo (40 points): an Australian state or territory driver licence is the common one.
- Supporting documents: Medicare card, bank cards, utility bills or rates notices showing your name and address.
A passport plus a driver licence usually clears 100 points on its own. If you do not drive, combine a birth certificate or passport with several supporting documents. Have these ready before you start any screening application, because you will need them more than once.
The right screening for your sector
Screening is where the sectors differ most. Get this part right and the rest follows.
- Aged Care: From 1 November 2025, Aged Care workers must hold either a National Police Certificate issued within the last three years, or an NDIS Worker Screening Clearance issued within the last five years. Those are the only two options under the Aged Care worker screening requirements. AHPRA registration, even for nurses, is never a substitute for screening.
- Disability and NDIS: You need an NDIS Worker Screening Check, cleared in your state or territory. Police history is built into this check, so you do not arrange a separate police certificate on top of it.
- Childcare: You need a Working With Children Check (called different names in different states). Police history is built into this check too, so again, no separate police certificate.
One clearance can cover two sectors
An NDIS Worker Screening Clearance is accepted as one of the two screening options for Aged Care. If you work, or plan to work, across both disability and Aged Care, a current NDIS clearance can cover both. A Working With Children Check, by contrast, is specific to childcare and child-related work.
A quick reminder on language: screening checks like the NDIS Worker Screening Clearance and police certificates are reviewed against the document you provide. State Working With Children Checks and AHPRA registration can be verified directly against the issuing register. Knowing the difference helps you understand what a provider can confirm quickly and what they need to sight from you.
First aid and CPR
Almost every care role expects a current first aid certificate, and CPR in particular has a shorter refresh cycle than the broader first aid qualification. Childcare roles usually require first aid, CPR, asthma and anaphylaxis training as a package.
- Keep the certificate of completion, not just a wallet card. Providers need to sight the dated certificate.
- Note the expiry dates. CPR competency typically needs refreshing more often than the full first aid certificate, so they can fall out of sync.
- Book your course early if your screening is already underway, so the two finish around the same time.
For more detail on cycles and what counts, see first aid and CPR requirements for care workers.
Sector orientation and training
On top of screening and first aid, most roles require some orientation or mandatory training before you can work unsupervised.
- Disability and NDIS: The NDIS Worker Orientation Module, "Quality, Safety and You", is a free online course many providers expect new workers to complete.
- Aged Care: Providers run induction and mandatory training covering the Aged Care Code of Conduct, manual handling, infection control and similar topics.
- Childcare: Expect child protection and child safe training, plus centre-specific induction.
Keep the completion certificates. They form part of the evidence a provider sights when deciding whether you can start.
Qualifications and references
Depending on the role, you may also need:
- A relevant qualification, such as a Certificate III in Individual Support for Aged Care or disability, or an early childhood qualification for childcare. Some entry roles let you start while studying.
- References or verified feedback from previous care work.
- Right to work evidence if you are not an Australian citizen.
A rough timeline: screening is the bottleneck
If you are starting from scratch, here is the order things tend to land:
- Day one: Gather your 100 point ID and lodge your screening application. Do this first.
- Same week: Book and complete first aid and CPR, and start any online orientation module.
- While you wait: Pull together qualifications, references and right to work evidence.
- Screening returns: This is the slow step. A Working With Children Check or NDIS Worker Screening Clearance can take from a few days to several weeks depending on your state and your history.
Because screening sets the pace, lodging it first is the single most useful thing you can do. Everything else can be assembled in parallel while you wait.
How a Career Passport carries all of this
The frustrating part of care work is that every new provider asks for the same documents again. A Career Passport is a portable, reviewed record of your credentials, so you assemble this stack once and carry it between roles.
- You upload your ID, screening, first aid, orientation certificates and qualifications in one place.
- Koora reviews your documents and verifies the ones backed by an authoritative register, such as a Working With Children Check or AHPRA registration, at source.
- When you apply to a new provider, you share your Career Passport rather than starting the paperwork from zero.
Koora pre-clears your credentials so providers can move faster, but the provider still keeps the legal obligation to sight your evidence and decide who can work. The Passport reduces the repetition, not the rigour. Koora also monitors your credentials and flags when something, such as a CPR certificate, is approaching expiry, showing the current status of your record at the time the report runs.
Ready to map your path into a specific sector? See how to become an Aged Care worker or how to become a disability support worker.
Authoritative sources
- Screening requirements for the Aged Care workforce (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing)
- NDIS Worker Screening Check (NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission)
- Working With Children Check reform (National Office for Child Safety)
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 it accurate, but the rules change and we will not always get every detail right. 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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