The Working with Children Check (WWCC) helps protect children from harm by preventing those who pose an unjustifiable risk to children from working with or caring for them. It does this by screening people’s criminal records and professional conduct history. The WWCC focuses on serious sexual, violent and drug offences, and the Department of Justice and Community Safety continues to monitor these records for the life of the card.
Holding a WWCC means a person is legally eligible to work with children. However, it is the responsibility of your church to assess if a worker is suitable to work with children and continue monitoring their behaviour around children.
Churches need to:
- Determine which paid and volunteer workers require a WWCC
- Ensure workers (employee or volunteer) have a valid WWCC before commencing work/volunteering. You must verify their status using ’Check Status’ on the WWCC website
- Keep a register of the number, type (employee/volunteer), & expiry dates of all your workers cards
- Remind workers they must add your church as an organisation with which they volunteer
- Ensure workers can continue doing child-related work by renewing their Check online before it expires
- Develop a process to deal with workers with any concerns raised, such as receiving a Negative Notice.
Please ensure your church’s Code of Conduct and other Safe Church policies state that a leader/volunteer must have a current and valid WWCC, prior to commencing any work with children. BUV recommends that any leader/volunteer whose WWCC is cancelled, revoked, suspended, or receives an interim negative notice or negative notice should step down from all roles involving children immediately while the situation is being addressed. Please contact Brenda Williams (BUV Professional Standards Consultant) to discuss further, if you or your church are in this situation.
For more information on Working With Children Check’s please see the resources below or visit their website at www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.