Apply for a Victorian Working with Children Check through Service Victoria — $139.20 for employees, free for volunteers, valid 5 years — with the digital clearance issued into the Service Victoria app.
Overview
Victoria's Working with Children Check is run by Working with Children Check Victoria within the Department of Government Services, with applications lodged through Service Victoria. The screening looks at national criminal history, certain court orders, and findings by professional disciplinary bodies — a broader net than a police check alone.
An employee check costs $139.20 to apply for and $105.30 to renew (2026–27); volunteer checks are free. Clearances are valid for 5 years. Victoria issues the clearance digitally into the Service Victoria app, so many holders no longer carry a physical card at all — another reason employers verify the clearance record rather than sight plastic.
Processing typically takes 3 to 12 weeks, which is slow by national standards — Victorian employers hiring for child-related roles should have candidates apply as early as possible in the recruitment process. The employee and volunteer types are distinct: it is an offence to do paid child-related work on a volunteer check, and Victoria runs a specific volunteer-to-employee transition process for people whose role changes.
A Victorian clearance is only valid in Victoria. RefChecks verifies a candidate's clearance number, name, check type, status and expiry against the Victorian record and stores the result in the candidate's report, so the evidence of verification survives audits.
What's Included
Victorian teachers, casual relief staff, tutors and outside-school-hours-care workers must hold an employee-type check — school providers are audited on clearance verification.
Victoria's kindergarten expansion has made the WWCC a standing requirement across early-learning hiring — with 3–12 week processing, applications need to start at offer stage, not onboarding.
Coaches, team managers and club volunteers across Victorian sport need a check — the volunteer type is free, but moving into any paid role legally requires the employee type first.
Support workers in child-facing disability and youth services need a WWCC alongside NDIS screening — the two checks cover different risks and one does not substitute for the other.
Process
Complete the application online, choosing employee or volunteer type, and pay the $139.20 fee for an employee check. Volunteer applications are free.
Victoria reviews national criminal history, court orders and professional disciplinary findings. Allow 3–12 weeks — longer than most states.
Your clearance lands in the Service Victoria app with a card to follow. Employers verify the clearance record — type, status and expiry — before child-related work starts.
Turnaround & Pricing
Turnaround Time
3–12 weeks — start applications at offer stage
Included in all plans
From $49/month
Clearance verification is a per-check cost on top of your plan quota. The Victorian government fee ($139.20 employee / free volunteer) is paid by the applicant to Service Victoria.
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