People working or volunteering with children in South Australia must, by law, have a working with children check.
A DHS/DCSI child-related check will be recognised as a working with children check until it expires.
An unfinalised child-related check application will be recognised as a working with children check on completion until it expires. If you applied for a child-related employment screening before 1 July 2019, and your application has not yet been finalised, the application will be treated as an application for a working with children check.
Do you have a current check?
Who needs a working with children check from 1 July 2019?
People need a working with children check if they are in a ‘prescribed position’. This means people who:
are in paid or volunteering roles where it is reasonably foreseeable that they will work with children
run or manage a business where the employees or volunteers work with children
are employed to provide preschool, primary or secondary education to a child.
A working with children check assesses whether a potential employee or volunteer could pose a risk to the safety of children, based on criminal history and child protection information.
Is your role affected?
Check the list below for examples of volunteer or paid roles and activities that would foreseeably have contact with children, and therefore require a working with children check. If your role type isn’t in this list and you are not sure if you need a working with children check, please contact us.
Accommodation and residential services for children
Accommodation and residential services for children
Accommodation and residential services for children include:
Licenced residential facilities
Residential facility for children
Licensed foster care agencies
Services provided by an approved carer
Services consisting of short-term or ongoing care provided to a child overnight, and involving sleeping arrangements, including such services provided in the course of an excursion or camp.
Child protection services
Child protection services
Child protection services include:
services provided by child protection workers
the care of a child by an approved carer in whose care, guardianship or custody the child is placed under that Act
services provided by a licensed foster care agency.
Childcare or child-minding services
Childcare or child-minding services
Childcare or child-minding services include:
Out of school hours care
Centre-based long day care
Occasional care
Family day care
In-home care
Babysitting or child-minding, arranged through an agency.
Clubs and associations
Clubs and associations
If your club or association has significant membership of (or involvement by) children, the people delivering the services/activities need a working with children check. This may include:
Scouts and Guides
Sport and recreation clubs
Cultural or artistic schools/service providers (e.g. theatre, music, dance, arts and crafts)
Coaching or tuition services
Coaching or tuition services
Sport/recreation coaches
Cultural tuition (e.g. theatre, music, arts and crafts)
Academic tutors
Mentors
Any other coaching or tuition services being provided for children
Commercial services provided directly to children
Commercial services provided directly to children
Entertainment and party services
People who sell or supply goods or services to children where physical contact is expected to occur
Costumed characters/mascots likely to appeal to children (e.g. sports club mascots, brand/product mascots, Father Christmas, Easter Bunny)
Gym and play facilities for children
Photographers that work with children
Competitions for children (e.g. talent shows, beauty pageants)
Disability services
Disability services
Medical professionals
Allied health services
Transport services
Respite carers
Recreation providers
Education services
Education services
Playgroup
Kindergarten
Preschool
Schools
TAFE
Adult education services offering SACE subjects
Other institutions providing children’s study or training programs
If you are a registered teacher and have a current, valid DHS/DCSI child-related employment screening, you can use it until it expires. Then you will need to get a working with children check. Don't leave it until the last minute – you can apply to renew your current check up to six months before it expires.
You must have a valid check for working with children before you can renew your teacher registration.
The South Australian Department for Education also has requirements for people who work at government schools, preschools, child care centres, and other non-corporate entities under the department. Find out more at Department for Education relevant history screening.
Emergency services who work with children
Emergency services who work with children
SA Ambulance workers and volunteers
SA Metropolitan Fire Service workers and volunteers
SA Country Fire Service workers and volunteers
SA State Emergency Service workers and volunteers
non-emergency ambulance service providers licenced under section 58 of the Health Care Act 2008
Emergency services workers and volunteers who work with children have until 1 July 2022 to get a working with children check.
Health services who work with children
Health services who work with children
Medical professionals
Allied health services
Counselling and support services
Paediatric wards in any kind of hospital or hospice
Registered health practitioners who work with children need to get a new working with children check before their current practitioner registration expires.
Justice and detention services
Justice and detention services
Youth remand, residential or justice centres
Supervision units
Probation services
Passenger transport services
Passenger transport services
School bus
Taxi services
Any publicly funded or commercial transport services specifically for children
Passenger transport workers need to get a new working with children check before their current transport worker accreditation expires.
Religious organisations
Religious organisations
Ministers of religion
Youth groups
Community programs (for example, a playgroup or music group)
Other services and activities provided by the organisation to children.
Excluded people
You don’t need a working with children check if you:
work for SA Police or the Australian Federal Police
employ or supervise children in a workplace, unless the work is child-related (e.g. you manage a fast food restaurant that employs people under 18)
work in the same capacity as a child (e.g. you work at a checkout in a supermarket that also hires people under 18 in the same type of role)
don’t think you will work with children for more than seven days (consecutive or not) in a calendar year*
are a parent or guardian volunteering with your own child (e.g. at school) and do not have close personal contact with other children, or participate in an organised overnight event (e.g. a school camp)
live interstate, have a current child-related check from your home state, and are working at an organised event in South Australia lasting no more than 10 consecutive days
are under the age of 14.
*The seven day exclusion does not apply if you are involved in an overnight activity (e.g. school camp), or have close contact with children with disability
The new, stronger laws for people working or volunteering with children were recommended as part of federal and South Australian royal commissions, and help keep children safe in our community.
The requirement to have a working with children check is covered by the following legislation:
only the South Australian DHS Screening Unit can do a working with children check (organisations can no longer do their own background screening of workers and volunteers)
individuals can do their own application for a new working with children check, which helps make people job-ready
new working with children checks are portable between roles and jobs across South Australia
the new working with children checks are valid for five years and are continuously monitored.
It is an offence to:
work or volunteer in a child-related role without a working with children check
work or volunteer in a child-related role if you are 'prohibited from working with children'
employ a person or volunteer for a child-related role who doesn’t have a valid working with children check, or is prohibited from working with children.
Offences carry fines of up to $120,000 and/or prison sentences.
Keep up-to-date
Subscribe to the DHS Screening Unit newsletter by emailing wwcc@sa.gov.au to stay up-to-date with changes.
