All staff working with children need to make sure they have complied with their state's requirements and we should all be committed to a coordinated and comprehensive approach to promoting the protection of children and ensuring that their safety, welfare and wellbeing is maintained at all times.

In Victoria, the new Working With Children (WWC) Check is being phased in over five years, with different people needing to apply at different times. Non-teaching staff and volunteers working in schools may need to apply for a WWC Check by 30 December 2007, and all staff working with children on overnight camps or outside school hours care, need to apply by June 2007.

Applications for the Check will depend on the year that your category of child-related work is being phased in.

To work out when it is time to apply, check the phasing plan on-line. If you fall into more than one category of child-related work, you should apply under whichever category comes first. For more information about the Victorian WWC Check, go to Dept. Justice Victoria

In NSW, you may obtain further information regarding your obligations and information explained in detail what the Working With Children Check means for your sport or recreation organisation by visiting NSW Dept. Sport & Recreation where comprehensive guidelines covering everything you need to know about the Working With Children Check and child protection for your organisation are available, topics including:

• child protection legislation in NSW
• screening for child-related employment
• definitions and indicators of abuse
• risk management
• child protection policy and notification procedures

Or you may visit The NSW Commission for and Young People, an independent organisation working with others to make NSW a better place for children and young people.

The communities that children and young people live in and the organisations they are part of are important to their well-being. And every day children and young people across NSW spend time with adults in organisations such as schools, childcare centres, refuges, sporting clubs and hospitals. Keeping children and young people safe in the workplace is part of your broader responsibility, as an employer, to manage risks within your organisation.

These Guidelines will show you how to meet your responsibilities under the Working With Children program.

The Commission for Children and Young People has also developed other resources to complement these Guidelines and help you create a safer, friendlier organisation for kids.

You can find these resources on the Commission’s website at www.kids.nsw.gov.au.