NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian Updates

There are updates in three different areas regarding Working Witch Children Checks.

1. Working with Children Check Employer Portal

The Office of the Children’s Guardian has made some changes to the Employer Portal. It not only looks different, but some new features have been added including :

• the option of changing your password and changing your username to an email address
• being able to verify multiple workers at once by adding the details of each worker before clicking ‘verify’
• when you log in to the Employer Portal, there is now section to find a ‘Verification history’ where you can download a Child Safe Verification (CSV) file containing historic verification attempts. The files are generated monthly and contain information about the people who have cleared checks in your organisation that have been verified including:
  • Working With Children (WWC) number
  • Clearance type (paid or volunteer)
  • Expiry
  • Verification date

Anyone who is unverified, or has been barred from working with children, will not be shown.

If any child-related worker in your organisation is not on this list, you need to verify their Working with Children Check now. You will need to ask the employee for their full name, Working with Children Check number or Application (APP) number and date of birth.

To verify your workers’ Working with Children Checks you need to log into the Employer Portal and enter your workers’ details and select ‘verify’.

You can only engage a worker if their status is ‘cleared’ or ‘application in process’. There is more information about the different Working with Children Check statuses on the Office of the Children’s Guardian website.

Verifying your workers is the only way you can check the status of your workers’ Working with Children Checks. It is also the only way the Office of the Children’s Guardian can notify you if a person becomes barred from working with children.

You need to verify the worker when they start with your organisation, and then when they renew their Working with Children Check every 5 years. 

Resources are available to help employers fulfil their Working with Children Check requirements.

If you have any questions about your responsibilities as a child-related employer, please read the WWCC information for organisations, and email check@ocg.nsw.gov.au if you cannot find the answers.

2. Consultation on Children’s Guardian Act 2019

The Office of the Children’s Guardian is holding a statutory review of the Children’s Guardian Act 2019. The focus for the statutory review is on areas that have not had recent review or consultation. Including:

• Reportable Conduct Scheme
• Deputy Children’s Guardian role
• Official Community Visitors Scheme

Read more: For more information and to have your say.

Consultation closes: Friday, 19 August 2022.

3. Child Safe Handbooks

The Office of the Children’s Guardians new Child Safe handbooks provide resources to help your organisation meet the requirements of the Child Safe Scheme and the Child Safe Standards.

• Understanding and Developing a Child Safe Policy;
• Reporting Obligations and Processes.

Read more: Child Safe handbooks