WorkingWithChildrenCheck

Link to SafeChurch

Working with Children Checks

What is it?

• See a description and comparison with a police check here

• Note that a Police check is required for money counting and other roles in the congregation, but does not substitute for a WWCC.

Glen Waverley's policy

• Please see 2.2.1 Working With Children Check Policy and documents linked from there. (Note that this has now been updated for the 2017 March 16 changes.)

• Those who need a WWCC also need to attend a Safe Church Training session every three# years, and sign a Code of Conduct. to be filed at the church office.

Revised Documents March 2016.

• See letter here.

• See registration policy here.

• Some key phrases concerning the changes are:
  • This includes, but is not limited to, Lay Preachers, Elders, Church Councillors, worship leaders, anyone commissioned by the Church Council to perform a leadership role, music leaders, organists and Bible study leaders.
  • This means that all congregations will be required for their leaders involved in activities where children would be welcome to attend – worship particularly – to have a WWCC/R regardless of whether or not children regularly attend those activities.
  • Church Council is responsible for advising those individuals who require a WWCC/R. It must document this decision and the process for monitoring implementation in the Church Council minutes and ensure it is recorded in an appropriate register.
  • The Victorian legislation now includes the category of ‘appointed leaders of a local religious congregation’ in the same category as Ministers of Religion and as such they are required to have a WWCC. The definition of ‘appointed leader’ is both broad and non-specific. Appointed leaders are people who are in a position of trust, influence or authority because of their leadership role within the congregation. This would include, but not be limited to, lay preachers, Elders, Church Councillors, worship leaders, anyone involved in children and youth events/programs/activities, anyone commissioned by the Church Council to perform a leadership role, music leaders, organists, Bible study leaders, and ‘home group’ or ‘cell group’ leaders.
• Conversations with Synod staff distilled this to "anyone whom a child attending church might reasonably see as a person in authority". After discussion with Synod staff, GWUC have interpreted this as including Greeters, Door Stewards and Sound room operators, but not other rosters as such.

Exemptions etc

• Persons holding an employee or volunteer WWCC for another organisation need to log in and add UCA and GWUC to their list of organisations.

• Victorian legislation exempts registered teachers. However UCA policy does not. This is because of inconsistency between states and concerns about notification if a teacher is stood down.
• A Police check is required for money counting and other roles in the congregation, but does not substitute for a WWCC.

Applying for WWCC as per revised documents.

• For Victoria the relevant legislation is The Working with Children Act (2005) as amended 2014

• In Victoria you must complete the on-line application form at http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/home/applications/apply+for+a+check/apply+in+victoria

  • Note that there is a new form as from Dec 5. This application process will send you an email with a barcode to be taken to a Post Office with identification. There is now an option to submit identification documents on line, but I have not tried it, though other have used it successfully.

  • If you do not have a computer or internet access or need help applying, please contact the ChurchOffice or DavidMorgan.

• Details:
  • When prompted to enter the details of the organisations you are involved in please list both:

    • 1. Uniting Church, 130 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000. Contact 9340 8810 or [email protected]'

    • 2. Glen Waverley Uniting Church, 10-12 Bogong Ave, Glen Waverley. Contact ChurchOffice

    • Use "Add an organisation" to create the second.
  • Occupational work code:64 Religious organisations

  • Type:Volunteer

• If you already have a card from another organisation, go to http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/utility/home/, log in (after creating an account if needed), and then go to "Change my details", and add the organisations above.

• If you have the card, and are convinced that you have entered GWUC, but we have not received a letter, the Department have advised us that:

  • Due to privacy legislation, we are required to receive this request directly with the cardholder.  The cardholder should contact us by calling 1300 652 879 between 8:30am - 5pm weekdays

    That is, the church cannot apply for a duplicate letter.

• Further information can be found on the WWCC website http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/utility/home/

Current Holders

• As recorded in our rolls database are found at WorkingWithChildrenCheckGroup. Corrections, additions and deletions to ChurchOffice please.

Below are the details shown on the DoJ site for me. Note that since the December 2016 revision, the "corner of.." address is no longer accepted. It seems that 10-12 Bogong Avenue is now the approved address. I have sought clarification from DoJ, and they say that using other address requires changing entry mode from "address recognition" to "manual entry". I have not yet tried that, but using 10-12 Bogong Avenue seems to be the simplest option.

Synod database

The Synod Culture of Safety people also keep a record of WWCCs. This is available to the designated person in each congregation at https://nod.victas.uca.org.au/welcome/ As of 2016, DavidMorgan is the designated person for GWUC.

# (changed from two in October 2018)

Prepared by DavidMorgan