For adult volunteers (18+) in NSW community sport, such as coaches, managers, officials and helpers, under the Office of the Children's Guardian rules in 2026. Covers who needs a check, parent exemptions, cost, applying, ID, validity, club verification and what each status means.
Probably, if you are 18 or older and volunteer with children who are not your close relatives. Anyone in child-related work in NSW, paid or voluntary, needs a Working With Children Check (WWCC).
Child-related work means providing services for people under 18, usually face to face, where contact with children is more than incidental. The Office of the Children's Guardian lists coaches and instructors among its examples of roles that need a check, and lists volunteering with children who are not close relatives as work that requires one.
Organisations decide who is in child-related work in their organisation: only those people need a check. A WWCC is different from a police check.
Generally yes. The Office of the Children's Guardian says a parent or close relative can volunteer without a check for a team, program or activity their child usually takes part in, and at their child's school or other educational provider.
A check is still needed in three cases:
The Office of the Children's Guardian also says not all parents need a check when helping with their child's activities, and the Regulations contain the full list of exemptions.
The Office of the Children's Guardian lists these exemptions:
The Regulations contain the full list of exemptions. Employers are expected to decide who is in child-related work and whether an exemption applies.
No. Applications and renewals are free for volunteers. Paid workers pay $112.
Applicants must be 18 or older.
The check involves a National Police Check and a review of reportable workplace misconduct. The police check starts once your ID is presented at the centre, and results can take up to 4 weeks to be received. Each check ends in either a clearance or a bar.
Apply at https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-for-a-working-with-children-check
You need four original, current proof of identity documents:
At least one must show your signature and photo. Photos, photocopies, certified copies and expired documents are not accepted unless stated otherwise.
If your primary document is not a NSW Driver Licence or NSW Photo Card, you must first get a customer number from Transport for NSW. A NSW Digital Driver Licence is accepted; other digital IDs, such as a digital Medicare card, are not. The name on your application must exactly match your ID.
Under the legislation, a person can start child-related work once they have an application (APP) number. The Office of the Children's Guardian says a person can only be engaged in child-related work if their status is "Cleared" or "Application in progress".
Some employers, such as NSW Health and the Department of Education, require a valid clearance first.
The police check starts once you show your ID at a Service NSW Centre and can take up to 4 weeks, so apply well before the season starts. Once you receive your WWCC number, the club verifies it again.
A clearance lasts 5 years. The holder is continuously monitored during that time, even if they change jobs or volunteer roles.
A new employee or volunteer who already holds a check does not need a new one when they change roles: you give the new club your number and it verifies you. You are responsible for keeping your details up to date.
Renewals are free for volunteers. Renewing with digital proof of identity needs a MyServiceNSW account, three current ID documents including a NSW driver licence or photo card, and a device with a working front camera. Digital renewal is not available for an expired clearance or if the name on your ID has changed since your last renewal.
Any organisation with people who work or volunteer to provide services to children must register with the Office of the Children's Guardian. It nominates two officials to be notified if a child-related worker becomes barred, then verifies people online in the Employer Portal.
The registration and verification requirements apply to volunteers as well as paid workers. There is no physical card or certificate: your WWCC number is in your clearance email, and you can also add the check to the Service NSW app.
The Office of the Children's Guardian lists these statuses for organisations:
For every status the OCG says to keep a record of the actions taken.
Parents can verify a check online with the Office of the Children's Guardian form at wwccheck.ocg.nsw.gov.au/VerifyIndividual.
The OCG says verifying also lets it contact you if the worker's status changes. You can also verify through the Service NSW app: the worker must have added their check to the app, and you scan the WWCC QR code under Services, "Check a licence or credential".
The OCG describes paid coaches who work for themselves as workers a parent should verify before they start.