From Monday 19 October 2026, several key changes regarding Working with Children Checks come into effect.
What is changing for organisations?
From 19th October, organisations (including churches) must notify the Social Services Regulator (SSR) about the workers and volunteers they engage in child-related work. (Previously, the individual worker or volunteer was obliged to notify SSR which organisation/s they were involved with). Organisations must do this via a new online service called “WWC Connect”.
What is changing for individuals?
From 19 October, new WWC Check applicants, people renewing their clearance, and volunteers changing to an employee clearance must complete mandatory child safety training before their application can be finalised. The training takes approximately 45 minutes.
What does this mean for me, as a volunteer?
If you currently hold a valid WWCC, you do not need to do anything at this point.
If in future you apply for a check for the first time, or, you renew your check (every 5 years), be aware that you will need to complete a free online training.
What does this mean for your church?
- Churches still have an obligation to ensure WWC Check details need to be checked and kept up to date.
- The new 45 min online training does not replace a church’s existing safeguarding policies and procedures, nor replace attending Creating Safe Spaces (CSS) for relevant roles.
- Renewals will take a little longer than people are used to. If someone on your team has a clearance expiring in the next few months, let them know to start early.
BUV’s recommendations:
- Review your current WWC Check records
Churches have an obligation to ensure WWC Check details are checked and kept up to date. Review that your records for workers and volunteers engaged in child-related work are accurate and up to date. This includes their WWC Check card number and contact information.
- Identify who else needs to be included
Review which workers and volunteers are undertaking child-related work in your church, who do not already have a WWCC. Consider people involved in children’s ministry, youth groups, Sunday school, holiday programs as well other activities involving children. BUV strongly recommends all volunteers and senior leadership team hold a WWCC check; not only people working directly with children.
- Prepare to use ‘WWC Connect’
Familiarise yourself with the new online service and the notification requirements that apply to your church. (Access will not be available until 19th October.) Identify who will be responsible for managing these requirements and maintaining the relevant records. This may be a pastor, church administrator, Safe Church Coordinator or another nominated person.
- Review your church’s processes
Consider whether your current recruitment, screening, induction and recordkeeping processes need to be updated to reflect the changes.
WWC Checks are one part of a broader approach to creating safe environments for children. Churches should continue to follow their existing child safety policies, Code of Conduct and other applicable safeguarding requirements.
Where can churches find more information?
The Social Services Regulator is the authoritative source for information about WWC Connect and the new requirements.
- WWC Connect: Visit the Social Services Regulator website
- Working with Children Checks: Visit the Victorian Government’s Working with Children Check website
Common questions:
What is the first step each church must take?
Before you can log in to WWC Connect, your church must have a Service Victoria account. You will need your church’s ABN to do this. For instructions how to create a ‘business profile’ for your church, click here: Set up your Business Profile account | Service Victoria. You can then use these details to access WWC Connect online via Service Victoria’s website at Working with Children Connect | Service Victoria
What information do I need in order to ‘connect’ a volunteer to my church?
Once your church is registered with Service Victoria (see above), you will need to log in to WWC Connect online, via Service Victoria’s website at Working with Children Connect | Service Victoria
You will need information about your organisation and the workers you want to connect. This includes:
- your organisation details (including the church’s legal name)
- the worker’s name, address, email address and telephone number
- the WWC Clearance (or, VIT registration details)
- the worker’s engagement type (paid or volunteer)
- the date they started doing child-related work with your organisation.
How long do churches have to ‘connect’ their volunteers and staff?
Timeline for notifying SRR:
A church must ‘connect’ a volunteer within 21 days of engaging them.
A church must ‘connect’ a paid staff member within 7 days of engaging them.
“Engaging” means the day they first do child-related work for you, or, the day you agree they will (in writing or verbally).
Note: You do not need to ‘connect’ a former volunteer or staff member who ceased engaging with your church prior to 19th October 2026.
The SSR is aware that it will take time for organisations to comply with the new changes. Churches should take all reasonable steps to ensure current staff are ‘connected’ by 26th October, and volunteers by 9th November.
What information does the church need to communicate to it’s staff and volunteers?
Churches should communicate to their staff and volunteers what personal information is being requested and why. That is, the church is obliged to record and submit via WWC Connect the volunteer’s legal name, address, phone, email; in order to keep children safe and to fulfill their obligation to Working with Children Check Victoria.
Churches should also encourage their volunteers to update the church when their contact details change, and, to allow extra time when renewing/applying before commencing child-related work.
Will volunteers now do two lots of training?
We do not know yet what the content of the new WWCC course is. The Government has said its course covers recognising concerning behaviour and grooming, and responding to concerns. The government has also advised this is a general training suitable for volunteers in all industries; and is designed to be used in combination with the local organisation’s in-house training and screening processes.
Once BUV is able to review the course content, we will consider how this interacts or overlaps with BUV Creating Safe Spaces training.
Do I need to be able to read and write in English to do the training?
The online training has been designed to be screen-reader accessible, clear contrasting text, and subtitles for videos. The training is written in ‘plain English’ and does not use complicated or technical language.
Initially the training will only be in English. In early 2027, additional languages will be added.
How do these WWCC changes affect teachers with VIT Registration?
Teachers who hold a current Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) registration remain legally exempt from needing to hold a WWCC. However, BUV recommends churches require all volunteers to hold a WWCC. Therefore, if a teacher applies for the first time, or, renews their check (every 5 years), they will then need to complete the new WWCC online training.
Teachers with VIT registration must: inform Working With Children Check Victoria (WWCCV) of any other child-related work/volunteering they undertake. Click here for more information: Service Victoria | Teacher notification
Churches must: If a person is exempt from holding a WWC Clearance (such as a teacher with VIT), the church must keep evidence of the exemption.
If a teacher who is volunteering with children at your church provides their VIT registration instead of a WWC Clearance, the church must include their VIT registration when connecting them through WWC Connect by selecting ‘VIT registration’ instead of ‘WWC Clearance’.
What happens if a WWCC is revoked?
The SSR will email the church if a connected person’s WWCC clearance is suspended, barred, revoked or expires. The church won’t be told the reason. (The card holder will be told the reason). The church must stop the individual doing child-related work straight away and update WWC Connect.