Working With Children Checks


The Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 (the Act) forms part of the ACT Government’s commitment to community safety by legislating to protect vulnerable people in the ACT. The Act requires people who work, volunteer or have contact with vulnerable people in the course of regulated activities or services to have a background check and risk assessment undertaken in order to be registered under the Working with Vulnerable People Scheme (the Scheme).

An ACT Legislative Review of the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 (WWVP Act) was undertaken in 2017. The ACT Government agreed to 26 recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of the Scheme, based on Government and community stakeholder feedback, across the following five themes:

Many of the recommendations of the ACT Legislative Review position the ACT Government to deliver on the Royal Commission’s recommendations where no national agreement is required.

A key recommendation of the Review is the extension of the registration period from a three year to a five year registration period. Implemented in conjunction with increased compliance measures, this recommendation maintains protections for vulnerable people whilst significantly reducing the regulatory and administrative burden on applicants, people registered under the Scheme, employers and Access Canberra.

This change will make the Scheme consistent with NSW and Victoria who have a registration period for Working with Children Checks of five years, and will assist in the national work towards harmonisation of Working with Children Check schemes, as recommended by the Royal Commission.

A second major recommendation of the Review is the introduction of disqualifying offences. This is a key measure aimed at increasing safeguards for the protection of vulnerable people by seeking to exclude people with relevant and serious criminal history from the Scheme automatically. This recommendation will position the ACT Government well in relation to national harmonisation of working with children check systems and provide a greater level of protection to vulnerable people.

Increased information sharing between jurisdictions is also an important first step towards harmonisation. Current legislation prevents information sharing between jurisdictions and the ACT Legislative Review has recommended changes to the Act to enable the development of cross-jurisdictional information sharing provisions. This will prepare the Territory for a national approach to sharing and receiving information in relation to background checks for children, noting the ACT’s Scheme has a broader remit for vulnerable people.

The work of the Royal Commission and the ACT Government’s response may bring up strong feelings and questions. Be assured you are not alone, and that there are many services and support groups available to assist. Some options for advice and support include 1800 Respect, Lifeline on 13 11 14 and the National Redress Information Line on 1800 737 377.