As of 19 October 2026:
- The Working with Children (WWC) Connect online service is live. It helps organisations and sole traders meet the new legal requirement to notify the Social Services Regulator. They need to notify the Regulator about workers and volunteers they engage to work with children.
- Mandatory online child safety training is now part of the WWC Check application and renewal process.
Action you need to take as a WWC Check applicant or WWC Clearance holder:
- Visit the Mandatory Child Safety Training page for more information.
- Complete the training if you are a:
- new WWC Check applicant
- person renewing their WWC Clearance
- person changing from a volunteer WWC Clearance to employee WWC Clearance.
- You must complete the training before your WWC Check application can be finalised.
- If you hold a current WWC Clearance, you don’t need to take any action until your Clearance is due for renewal or if you are changing from a volunteer WWC Clearance to an employee WWC Clearance.
Action you can take if you are a nominated WWC Connect user:
- Understand the changes. Review your processes. Prepare your team.
- Check that your team member’s (where relevant) WWC Clearance information is accurate and up to date.
- Be aware that any new workers or volunteers engaged in child related work from 19 October 2026 will need to be connected to the department using WWC Connect. Details required include:
- the worker or volunteer’s correct name
- the worker or volunteer's WWC Check card or application number
- the worker or volunteer's address
- the worker or volunteer's email
- the worker or volunteer's phone number.
- Be aware that notifications will need to be made to the Social Services Regulator via WWC Connect. This will need to happen when the details of a worker or carer engaged in child-related work change, or when your organisation ceases to engage them in a role performing child-related work.
- Make relevant recruitment compliance and HR staff aware of the changes.
- Inform workers and volunteers about the mandatory training requirement where relevant.
For more information, an explantory video and frequently asked questions, visit Changes to the Working with Children Check.