Victoria’s Working with Children Check (WWCC) has been strengthened to better protect children by improving how child safety risks are identified and assessed.
The Social Services Regulator (SSR) now has stronger powers to act earlier where there are concerns about a person’s suitability to work or volunteer with children.
The changes commenced on 28 July 2026 and are part of a suite of reforms to Victoria’s child safeguarding system and respond to recommendations from the Rapid Child Safety Review.
These changes include:
- allowing the Working with Children Check to identify and respond to child safety risks earlier and share information between schemes, other regulators and agencies.
- using information that may be unsubstantiated, allegations, intelligence and other information, that could, when considered together, help identify a concerning pattern of behaviour.
- new powers to take immediate action to place an interim bar or suspension on a person’s WWCC to stop them working with children.
- replacing the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) with an internal review process for people who are refused a WWCC clearance or have a WWCC clearance revoked.
Updated