Skip to main content

Changes to the Working with Children's Check

18 October 2026

Keeping children safe is everyone’s responsibility in the Barwon Region, with further changes to Victoria’s Working with Children (WWC) Check continuing to strengthen safeguards and improve the protection of children across our community.

In July 2026, reforms to Victoria’s Working with Children (WWC) Check strengthened information sharing, risk assessment processes and the Social Services Regulator’s (SSR) powers to act when concerns arise about a person’s suitability to work with children.

From October 2026, further changes will strengthen the WWC Check, with the introduction of:

  • WWC Connect online service, to help organisations (including sole traders) meet the new legal requirement to notify the SSR about workers and volunteers they engage to work with children
  • new mandatory child safety training for people applying for or renewing their WWC Clearance.

Together, these changes will strengthen the safeguards that help organisations make safer decisions about the people they engage to work or volunteer with children.  This will help organisations provide accurate information to the SSR about the people they engage in child-related work and receive notifications if a worker or volunteer’s WWC Clearance status changes.

Organisations should familiarise themselves with the changes to Victoria’s WWC Check system

In October to comply with the new requirements organisations (including Leagues & clubs) will need to:

  1. Check – use the WWC status checker to verify a person’s WWC Clearance before engaging them in child-related work.
  2. Connect – when ready to formally engage, connect them to your organisation using WWC Connect.
  3. Record – keep appropriate records to show you have completed the required checks and connection.
  4. Maintain – keep your WWC Connect records up to date as workers start or stop doing child-related work for you and if their contact details change.

Click HERE for a Factsheet with changes to the Working with Children Check effective October 2026.

Should your club have any questions relating to the changes, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Latest News