Western Australia

Working with Children Checks

Who needs a WWC Check?

In Western Australia, any adult who engages in “child-related work” is legally required to have a Working with Children Check (WWC Check). “Child-related work” includes volunteer or paid work which is likely to involve contact with children in connection with a club, association or movement that has a significant membership or involvement of children. Note that “contact” includes any physical contact, and any form of verbal or electronic communication.

There is one relevant exception to this requirement, namely that a WWC Check isn’t required for a parent to do volunteer work for a club or association if their child is involved in some or all of the organisation’s activities. To be clear, this exemption does not apply to paid work, and only applies to clubs and associations.

If you are unsure whether you need a WWC Check, you can find more information on the Working with Children website (click here) or contact your Club Support Officer.

Information for Clubs, Associations and Discover Sailing Centres

As an employer of staff or volunteers who work with children, there are a number of obligations with which you must comply. Chief among these is the requirement to ensure that everyone who engages in child-related work with your organisation has a valid WWC Check, unless an exemption applies. It is not enough to just see someone’s WWC Card; you must also verify it against the database and register all WWC Card holders in your organisation.

In addition, you must maintain adequate records to confirm that you have complied with your legal obligations. These records should include, at a minimum:

• A list of all employees and volunteers, specifying which engage in child-related work;
• For everyone engaging in child-related work for your organization:

• Their WWC Card number and expiry date (or application number);
• A copy of their WWC Card;
• Details of your validation of their WWC Card;
• Any notification you receive from the WWC Screening Unit; and
• Any Interim Negative Notice or Negative Notice issued, and the action you took in response.

The Department of Communities has published an published an example spreadsheet (.xlsx) you may wish to use to record this information. Please note that, as this information includes sensitive personal information, you must ensure it is stored securely and is accessible only to those who strictly need it.

For more information about your record-keeping obligations, please click here.

Further Resources

The Department of Communities has published a variety of resources to assist you in complying with your WWC Check obligations; you can see a complete list here. In particular, the following may be of assistance:

• Factsheet: Categories of Child-related Work (.pdf)
• Factsheet: Information for the Sport and Recreation Sector (.pdf)
• Factsheet: The Parent Volunteer Exemption (.pdf)
• WWC Check Compliance Toolkit for Sport and Recreation (.docx)

Contacts

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 000. Otherwise, to make a report to police, call 131 444.

If you are concerned about a child’s wellbeing, contact the Central Intake Team on 1800 273 889.