Need for early renewals of Working With Children Checks

Since raising concerns about the potential for up to 7 weeks delay when renewing Working With Children Checks (WWCC) on 18 May 2021, the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) NSW has received a recommendation from the NSW Children’s Guardian that renewals can be made up to 3 months before their expiry date.

ACA NSW’s concerns are for those Approved Providers, educators and teachers who are married women and have already had their WWCCs issued in their married names.

Unfortunately, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) has imposed onto the NSW Office of Children’s Guardian a new requirement, ie the additional provision for a copy of:

• a change of name certificate issued by Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages;
• an Australian marriage certificate issued by a state or territory (church or celebrant-issued certificates are not accepted); or
• a Deed Poll.

For these married female employers and staff who already have had their Working With Children Checks previously issued in their married names, this additional requirement has caused some delay of potentially up to 7 weeks as replacements need to be ordered.

Such delays have already obliged a number of these early childhood educators and teachers to take annual leave because they are unable to be able to work without a current WWCC.

ACA NSW has raised this matter with the NSW Attorney-General (the Hon Mark Speakman SC MP) for his review. ACA NSW has also raised the curious anecdotal evidence that this new requirement does not appear to be imposed in other Australian states.

And with 97% of educators and teachers and over 70% of Approved Providers being female, this new identification requirement has an unintentional and disproportionate negative impact on female employers and staff.

In the meantime, ACA NSW is strongly supporting the NSW Office of Children’s Guardian’s recommendation that WWCC renewals should be ideally 7-12 weeks before their expiry dates.

PUBLISHED: 24 MAY 2021