- Published:
- Friday 23 October 2026
New requirements for the Working with Children Check are now in effect.
In an Australian first, anyone applying for or renewing a Working with Children (WWC) Clearance must complete mandatory child safety training before their application can be finalised.
Organisations must also use the new WWC Connect platform through Service Victoria to notify the Social Services Regulator (SSR) about workers and volunteers engaged in child-related work.
The new system will give the SSR a clearer picture of Victoria's child-related workforce, enabling organisations to be alerted quickly if a worker's WWC Clearance status changes so they can take immediate action to protect children.
Anyone who engages a person with a suspended WWC Clearance in child-related work is committing an offence.
Together, these reforms strengthen oversight of the child-related workforce, improve accountability and help ensure potential risks are identified and addressed sooner.
The changes are part of Victoria's ongoing response to recommendations from the Rapid Child Safety Review and represent a significant strengthening of the state's child safeguarding system.
For more information, visit vic.gov.au/changes-working-children-check
Quote attributable to Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn
“The Victorian Government is strengthening the WWC Check to provide stronger safeguards for children and help organisations, workers and volunteers meet their child safety responsibilities.”
Quote attributable to Social Services Regulator Jonathan Kaplan
“These new requirements strengthen the information available to organisations and reinforce their responsibility to ensure the people they engage are eligible to work with children. All children deserve to feel and be safe wherever they are, and each of us has a critical role to play in supporting this.”
Quote attributable to Australian Childhood Foundation CEO Janise Mitchell
“The mandatory child safety training is a direct response to feedback from survivors of child sexual abuse - it’s been shaped by their insights and built with their leadership.”