Working with Children Check
FNSW conditions of participation and registration requires the following persons aged over 18 years to obtain a WWC Number and provide it to the club, association, branch, futsal club, futsal centre or referee’s branch they are applying to work or volunteer with:
- All persons who are in a role working or volunteering with children under 18 years.
- All coaches and managers working or volunteering with children under 18 years.
- All technical directors working or volunteering with children under 18 years.
- All referees, referee coaches and referee mentors (except those U18 years of age).
- All administrators working or volunteering in a club that has participants U18 years.
- All persons working or volunteering where that person has access to the Registration Details, Database or personal details of participants or members U18 years.
- All Directors and Committee Members of clubs etc. with participants aged U18 yrs.
- All Member Protection Information Officers (MPIOs).
- All persons working or volunteering at an overnight camp, tour or event which involves an overnight stay or overnight accommodation (of one night or more) with children under 18 years. Includes overnight accommodation in motels, hotels, cabins, camping, group accommodation, air travel, train travel, bus travel.
- All persons in any other child related roles in football working or volunteering with children U18 years.
- All paid persons working with children U18 must apply for a PAID Working with Children Check and provide a paid WWC Number to the club or organisation they are working for.
- A paid WWC number ends in ‘E’ for employed.
- Paid means any form of remuneration such as in cash, in kind, honorariums, allowances, gift vouchers, referee payment, reduced player fees and any other form of payment.
- A Paid WWC Number can be used for either a paid or volunteer role.
- A Volunteer WWC Number can be used for a volunteer role but cannot be used for a paid role.
- You will need to upgrade your Volunteer WWC Number to a Paid WWC Number
There are 2 ways to renew your WWC Number, depending on how you choose to have your identification verified:
- Online using face verification – instead of going into a Service NSW Centre to present your identity documents, you renew online and use your device to scan your face. The scan is matched with the photo used on your NSW Driver Licence or NSW Photo Card.
- At a Service NSW Centre – you need to complete the Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) renewal application form, then visit a service centre within 28 days to present the original version of your identity documents and pay your fee if required.
For further information – Service NSW – Renew Your WWC Number
- A ‘paid’ WWCC costs $80
- A ‘volunteer’ WWCC is free
- A Working with Children Check is renewed every 5 years.
- When first applying for a WWCC, after completing the application online, the applicant will be required to take their Application email, proof of ID and pay the applicable fee to a NSW Service Centre.
- Only applicants for a ‘paid’ WWC application will be required to pay the applicaton fee at the NSW Service Centre.
- Paid WWC Number – WWC123456E (‘E’ is for employed)
- Volunteer WWC Number – WWC1234567V (‘V’ is for volunteer)
- Where a person aged over 18 is unable to satisfy the requirements of the NSW Working with Children Check or the FNSW WWC Policy requirements, they are not permitted to work or volunteer in a child related role within FNSW.
- In football, most referees are paid to referee and paid referees are therefore required to hold a ‘paid’ WWC Number. Any form of remuneration in return for refereeing is deemed to be payment, including payment in cash or kind, allowances, gift vouchers or other forms of payment.
- The requirement to obtain a ‘paid’ WWCC still applies even if a referee claims his/her payments as a ‘hobby’ for tax purposes using a hobby declaration form.
- If income derived from refereeing is declared by the referee as taxable income, the cost of the WWCC may be tax deductible but the referee must obtain their own taxation advice in this regard.
- Referees who are volunteer referees and receive no payment or remuneration in return at all for refereeing can apply for and provide a ‘volunteer’ WWC Number.
- Referee’s under 18 years of age are exempt and cannot apply for a WWC until 3 months prior to their 18th birthday.
- It is a mandatory requirement of FNSW that every club, association and referee branch has a Member Protection Information Officer (MPIO).
- MPIOs are appointed by the club or organisation to oversee the WWCC, Safeguarding Children and to promote and create a child safe environment.
- FNSW Member Protection Information
- FNSW Safeguarding Children Information
- The WWCC requirements have been in place since 2000, so there are no excuses for not being compliant.
- The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian (NSW OCG) compliance team regularly audit sport clubs and organisations for compliance.
- The NSW OCG can issue Government fines and/or report the organisation to NSW Police for non-compliance as the WWCC is a mandatory legal requirement.
- What is non-compliance?
- Failure to obtain WWC Numbers from workers and volunteers in child related roles
- Failure to have registered your organisation for the WWCC
- Failure to verify WWC Numbers in the online WWC Verification System
- Failure to maintain a record of all WWC verifications
- The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian and Football NSW reserve the right to conduct compliance audits on any club, association, branch, futsal Club, Futsal Centre or referee branch operating under the auspices of FNSW.
- FNSW may take disciplinary action against a club, association, branch, futsal club, futsal centre or referee branch for non-compliance with the WWCC as a breach of the FNSW WWCC Policy.
- Persons who hold a WWC Number are required to keep their personal details updated with Service NSW.
- Failure by a worker or volunteer (who holds a WWC Number) to keep their personal details updated with Service NSW can result in a NSW Government fine.