Working With Children Check by state: rules and renewals

Unlike most credentials, the Working With Children Check is not one national scheme. Every state and territory runs its own, with a different name, issuing body and validity period. This guide lays them all out and explains the national Working With Children Check reform that is bringing them closer together.

One requirement, eight schemes

If you work or volunteer in child-related roles, including early childhood education and care, you need the Working With Children Check for the jurisdiction you work in. There is currently no single national check, so a worker operating across borders has historically needed a clearance in each jurisdiction.

The check in each state and territory

Each state has its own reference page with the cost, renewal rules, employer duties and official status check, all checked against the issuing body: Working with Children Checks in every state and territory.

A few points that catch people out:

• Tasmania and the ACT use a broader vulnerable-people registration that covers both children and vulnerable adults.
• The Northern Territory Ochre Card has the shortest validity in the country at two years.
• Most schemes are continuously monitored, meaning a clearance can be cancelled if relevant criminal history arises before its expiry date, not only at renewal.
• Renewal windows differ: many let you renew up to three months before expiry, while the NT will not accept applications more than two months ahead.
• Volunteer checks are free in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT, and in Tasmania under fee relief that runs for two years from 1 January 2026. WA and the Northern Territory charge a reduced volunteer fee. A paid child-related role needs a paid check, so confirm the current fee with the issuing body.

National reform is underway

The fragmented system is changing. At the Standing Council of Attorneys-General meeting on 14 November 2025, all jurisdictions endorsed an Agreement to Deliver National Working With Children Check Reform, backed by $37 million. Two changes matter most:

• Mutual recognition of negative notices, often summarised as "banned in one, banned in all": a person refused a check in one jurisdiction will be refused in the others.
• A National Continuous Checking Capability, delivered by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, providing ongoing monitoring of criminal-history changes for check holders, with rollout beginning from late 2025.

These reforms improve consistency, but for now the eight separate schemes remain, and a worker still applies in their own jurisdiction.

The childcare worker register

In early childhood education and care, the Working With Children Check now also feeds the National Early Childhood Worker Register, where an approved provider or nominated supervisor must sight and record check validity. The worker register guide explains how that works and where the sighting obligation sits.

Keeping checks current

Because validity periods differ and several schemes monitor continuously, tracking expiry across a team is genuinely hard to do by hand. Koora verifies Working With Children Checks against the public state lookup in Victoria, Queensland, WA, Tasmania and the NT, reviews NSW and SA checks and the ACT registration from the document, and tracks expiry dates so a lapsing card is flagged before it becomes a compliance gap. The legal responsibility to confirm a worker's check, including the sighting duty under the worker register, stays with the provider.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a single national Working With Children Check?

Not yet. There are eight separate state and territory schemes with different names, issuing bodies and validity periods. A worker doing child-related work in more than one jurisdiction has historically needed a clearance in each. National reform to improve consistency is underway.

How long is a Working With Children Check valid?

It varies by jurisdiction, from two years in the Northern Territory to five years in most states. Queensland's Blue Card and Western Australia's WWC Card are valid for three years.

Do I need a separate police check as well?

No. A national police history check is built into the Working With Children Check assessment in every jurisdiction. For child-related work, the check covers it, so you do not need a separate police check on top.

What is changing nationally?

In November 2025, all jurisdictions agreed to national Working With Children Check reform, backed by $37 million, including mutual recognition of negative decisions so that a person banned in one state is banned in all. A national continuous checking capability is also being rolled out to monitor criminal-history changes.