Working With Children Checks: seek union help early
Changes to the Working with Children Check (WWCC) scheme mean an interim suspension or bar can now be imposed on the basis of child safety risk information, including unsubstantiated allegations.
The Social Services Regulator (SSR) is an independent statutory authority that safeguards the rights of children and young people and people who use social services in Victoria.
The SSR regulates the Social Services Standards, the Child Safe Standards and also administers the Worker and Carer Exclusion Scheme (WCES), Reportable Conduct Scheme (RCS) and Working with Children Check (WWCC) scheme.
Changes to the WWCC scheme came into effect on 28 July 2026.
The first of these changes is that the SSR can now consider ‘child safety risk information’ when assessing, re-assessing or monitoring a person’s suitability to hold a WWCC.
This means the SSR can now consider unsubstantiated information and intelligence, including law enforcement intelligence, allegations of reportable conduct (including unsubstantiated allegations), information from other states and territories and historical allegations.
Greater information sharing is also enabled across different agencies, including with Victoria Police, the Reportable Conduct Scheme, and the Worker and Carer Exclusion Scheme.
The second of these changes is that the SSR now has the power to issue an interim bar or suspension on the basis of child safety risk information that is yet to be substantiated.
The SSR can impose an interim bar or suspension while they assess whether to revoke a clearance or issue an interim exclusion or exclusion. An interim bar or suspension can be extended for a total of up to 24 months. If it continues beyond six months, the SSR must reassess it at the six-month mark and every three months thereafter.
The third change is that the SSR will now use different criteria to assess whether someone should hold a WWCC. The following criteria have changed:
The paramount consideration has been expanded and is now ‘the best interests, safety, welfare and wellbeing of children’.
In determining whether a person would pose an unjustifiable risk to the safety of children, the SSR must now consider whether ‘a reasonable person would allow their child to have direct unsupervised contact while the applicant was engaged in any type of child-related work’.
In determining whether there is an unjustifiable risk, the SSR must now consider whether it is in the public interest to provide the WWCC. This
was not a consideration previously.
The fourth change is that an applicant can no longer seek a review of an adverse WWCC decision made on or after 28 July 2026 in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
The VCAT review pathway is replaced by an internal review process. The internal reviewer can seek advice from an independent expert advisory panel.
More details about these changes are available on the SSR website: www.vic.gov.au/changes-working-children-check
If you are the subject of reportable conduct allegations or have issues raised about your WWCC, contact the Member Services Unit (MSU) as soon as possible.
