Collecting Compliance Information from Volunteers: A State-by-State Guide for Australian Sports Clubs

If your club has volunteers working with children or young people — and almost every community sports club does — there's a good chance some of those roles legally require a screening check. The problem is that the check has a different name in every state and territory, is administered by a different government body, and the rules about who needs one vary too.

This guide breaks it down state by state, explains what each check is called, and shows how to use Club Volunteer's custom registration fields to collect check numbers directly from volunteers when they sign up.

Why compliance screening matters for sports clubs

Community sports clubs are among the most common settings where adults interact with children in an unsupervised or semi-supervised capacity. Canteen workers, team managers, coaches, gate duty staff and ground crew can all find themselves in positions of responsibility around minors. Most Australian states and territories require anyone in these roles to hold a current screening check — and clubs have an obligation to verify that volunteers hold one before they start.

Beyond the legal requirement, collecting compliance numbers at registration protects your club, your volunteers and the children in your care. It also signals to families that your club takes child safety seriously.

The challenge: it's called something different everywhere

There is no single national check. Each state and territory runs its own scheme, under its own name, administered by a different agency. Here is what each one is called:

State-by-state guide

New South Wales — Working With Children Check (WWCC)

Administered by the Office of the Children's Guardian. Volunteers in child-related work are required to hold a current WWCC clearance. Volunteer checks are free of charge. The check number takes the format WWC0000000E. Clubs should record the check number and expiry date. More information: kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au.

Victoria — Working With Children Check (WWCC)

Administered by Service Victoria on behalf of the Department of Justice and Community Safety. Volunteer checks are free. The check produces a card with a unique card number. Clubs should verify the card is current and record the card number. More information: workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au.

Queensland — Blue Card

Administered by Blue Card Services (part of the Department of Children, Seniors and Disability Services). Queensland calls it a Blue Card, not a WWCC. Volunteer Blue Cards are free. The card number is printed on the card itself. Clubs are required to verify and record card numbers for screened volunteers. More information: bluecard.qld.gov.au.

Western Australia — Working With Children (WWC) Check

Administered by WWC Check WA (Department of Communities). Volunteer checks are free. The check produces a card with an assessment notice number. Clubs should record the assessment number and expiry. More information: workingwithchildren.wa.gov.au.

South Australia — Working With Children Check (WWCC)

Administered by the Department of Human Services (Screening Unit). Both paid employment and volunteer roles require a check where the activity involves working with children. The screening number format is a unique reference issued by DHS. More information: screening.sa.gov.au.

Tasmania — Working With Vulnerable People (WWVP) Registration

Administered by the Department of Justice (Communities, Sport and Recreation). Tasmania uses a broader category called Working With Vulnerable People (WWVP), which covers both children and other vulnerable people. Volunteer registration is free. The card includes a registration number. More information: cbos.tas.gov.au.

Australian Capital Territory — Working With Vulnerable People (WWVP) Registration

Administered by Access Canberra. Like Tasmania, the ACT uses the Working With Vulnerable People name rather than a children-only check. Volunteer registration is free. The registration includes a unique card number. More information: accesscanberra.act.gov.au.

Northern Territory — Ochre Card

Administered by the Northern Territory Government (Safe Children). The NT calls it an Ochre Card. It is required for volunteers working with children in regulated activities. The card includes a unique card number. More information: nt.gov.au.

What information should clubs collect?

At a minimum, clubs should collect:

• The check or card number (unique identifier issued by the state authority)
• The expiry date of the check or card

Some clubs also ask for a photo of the card for their records. The level of record-keeping your club needs may also depend on your sport's national body requirements — check with your association if you're unsure.

Using Club Volunteer's custom fields to collect compliance numbers

Club Volunteer includes a Custom Fields feature that lets you add extra questions to your volunteer sign-up form. These fields appear on the public registration page that volunteers complete when they claim a shift. You can use them to collect compliance check numbers directly at the point of registration — without any manual follow-up.

Setting up a compliance field

1. In the Club Volunteer platform, go to Settings → Custom Fields.
2. Click Add Field.
3. Set the field label to match the name used in your state — for example: "Working With Children Check number (WWCC)" for NSW/VIC clubs, or "Blue Card number" for Queensland clubs, or "WWVP registration number" for Tasmania/ACT clubs.
4. Set the field type to Text.
5. Mark it as Required if your club's policy is that no volunteer can complete registration without providing their check number. Otherwise leave it optional.
6. Save the field.

The field will immediately appear on your public volunteer registration form. Every new volunteer who signs up for a shift will be prompted to enter their check number before completing registration.

Viewing compliance data for your volunteers

Custom field answers are stored against each volunteer's record and visible to platform administrators in the Volunteers section. You can see each volunteer's check number alongside their name, email and shift history.

This gives your committee a single place to check compliance status before approving volunteers for child-facing roles, without needing to maintain a separate spreadsheet or ask volunteers individually.

A practical approach for multi-state or multi-sport clubs

If your club operates in one state, a single custom field with the correct local name is all you need. If your association spans multiple states — or if you run a club in a border region where volunteers might come from either side — you have a couple of options:

• Use a generic label such as "Child safety check number (WWCC / Blue Card / WWVP / Ochre Card)" and include all state names in the label so every volunteer recognises it regardless of where they got their check.
• Add a state dropdown field before the check number field, so the volunteer selects their state first, then enters their number. This makes it easier to verify the right check type later.

Make it part of your onboarding process

Collecting compliance numbers at registration is only the first step. A complete compliance process for your club also involves:

• Verifying that the number provided is current and valid (most state authorities have an online check tool)
• Recording when each check was verified
• Following up with volunteers before their check expires
• Ensuring new volunteers understand which roles require a check before they claim a shift

Club Volunteer handles the data collection part — your committee handles the verification. Using custom fields means you'll never have a volunteer show up on game day without having provided their details, and you won't need to chase people individually after the fact.