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How the Check Works

Working with Children (WWC) Check applications are assessed by the Department of Justice.

The outcome of your WWC Check will depend on the results of a national police records check and a review of any findings from specified disciplinary bodies and certain determinations by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). Only a limited range of offences and disciplinary findings are taken into account – see the “What if You Have a Criminal Record?” page. For information about the police check and what it entails, see the “What is Checked?” page.

Applicants who pass the WWC Check receive an Assessment Notice in the form of a WWC Check card.
If the department has decided that you have not passed the Check and intends to give you a Negative Notice, you will first be given an Interim Negative Notice and asked to make a submission explaining why you believe you should pass the WWC Check.

In some cases, involving serious sex offences, the department under the Working with Children Act 2005 is required to issue a Negative Notice.

After a Negative Notice has been issued, in most cases you can apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to review the department’s decision to issue you with a Negative Notice. If you are successful, VCAT can order the department to issue a WWC Check card.

Employers, volunteer organisations and agencies can verify the status of a WWC Check application or card at any time on this website, or by calling the WWC Check Information Line.

One of the key features of the WWC Check is that it provides ongoing checking of a person’s criminal record during the 5-year period the WWC Check is valid. During this time, the department also receives advice about relevant findings made against a person by the out of home carers Suitability Panel and the Victorian Institute of Teaching and determinations by VCAT under the Health Professions Registration Act 2005.