Criminal Record Checking
All volunteers at junior parkrun in Australia must hold a current Working with Children Check (WWCC), issued by the state in which they wish to volunteer. WWCCs are not transferable across different states in Australia.
For all junior parkrun volunteers: once a volunteer has Blue card or WWCC, they are required to log their details, including a photo of the card, and accept the Volunteer code of conduct at www.jpvolunteer.com. If you have an Exemption Blue Card (QLD) you are also required to upload a photo of your Teacher or Police certificate/ID as the supporting document.
3.2.1 Australian Capital Territory
Working With Vulnerable People
To apply for a WWVP card applicants follow these steps:
- Complete a WWVP application for registration (Online)
- Attend an Access Canberra Service Centre to provide proof of your identity (accepted ID) and have your photo taken
Once a WWVP application has been lodged, processing takes up to 20 business days.
Applicants will receive a ‘Working with Vulnerable People’ registration card, which will display a unique ‘Registration Number’.
WWVP cards are valid for three years.
3.2.2 New South Wales
Working With Children Check
To apply for a WWCC, applicants follow these steps:
- Applicants complete an online application and must be in NSW to complete the application. Applicants are required to provide personal details including date and place of birth.
- Once an applicant has completed their application online, they then need to take the confirmation email receipt along with the necessary proof of identity documents to a Service NSW Centre to finalise their application or renewal. The identification documents to be presented at the Service NSW Centre must be original, hard copy documents and must include at least one photo ID.
The Working With Children Check in NSW is an online system and does not have a physical card or certificate.
It is important that applicants keep their confirmation emails. The exact name on the application needs to be used to update any relevant details and is used when renewing. The email an applicant receives when they are cleared has these details, as well as the applicant’s Working With Children Check number for future reference.
The online application form can be found here. More information on the ‘Proof of Identity process’ and relevant documentation can be found here.
The applicant will receive an email once the process has been completed. If they are granted clearance, they will receive a Working With Children Check number. The applicant is required to provide this number to parkrun, who in turn will update the system to inform the NSW Government Office of the Children’s Guardian that the applicant will be volunteering with us.
A NSW Working With Children Check is valid for 5 years. Cleared applicants are subject to ongoing monitoring and relevant new records may lead to the clearance being revoked by the NSW Government Office of the Children’s Guardian.
80 percent of applications are processed within 48 hours when the applicant has no records.
Once proof of identity has been provided to a Service NSW Centre, most people receive their result within a few days.
3.2.3 Queensland
Blue Card
Applicants complete an online application.
The online portal allows you to:
- Apply for a card - Blue Card or Exemption Card
- Renew a card
New applicants:
Please visit Blue Card Services and pay particular attention to the 'Before You Apply' section.
During the application process, you will be provided with an 'account number'. In order to apply for a free volunteer Blue Card, you will need to send the account number, your name, and date of birth to safeguardingau@parkrun.com. We will then validate that you are a junior parkrun volunteer, approve the application, which will result in Blue Card Services sending you a text message to advise you can proceed with your Blue Card Application.
Existing Blue Card or Exemption Blue Card holder:
When you register to volunteer with us at www.jpvolunteer.com you will be prompted to upload a photo of your Blue Card. We will then check and validate your details with Blue Card Services.
You should allow 5 business days for your Blue Card application to be processed.
Once approved you will receive a letter accompanied by a physical Blue Card, parkrun HQ will receive an outcome notification by email.
The standard period for which a Blue Card is valid is three years.
3.2.4 South Australia
Working With Children Check
Applicants complete an online application.
To complete an application you will need the following:
- Information about your full legal name and any names you may have, including previous names, maiden name, names you have legally changed, aliases and informal names (like nicknames)
- Your current address and 10 years' of address history
- If you are verifying your identity online (100-point check), you will need an Australian driver's licence or permit, plus one of these:
- Australian birth certificate or extract
- Australian citizenship certificate
- Australian passport
If you are unable to provide these documents, there are additional options available to achieve the 100-point identity check offline. More details are available here: https://screening.sa.gov.au/about-checks/proof-of-identity
Individuals will be notified of the outcome of the check by email. The Screening Unit completes most applications within three weeks.
parkrun will confirm that a volunteer has a valid check via the SA Government ‘Screenings and Background Checks’ portal. We require the following details from the volunteer to carry out this check:
- Applicant’s full name (exactly as they provided to the Screening Unit)
- Date of Birth
- Applicant’s Screening Reference Number - SRN (If the SRN has been misplaced - an applicant can find it here)
The check is valid for 5 years and is continuously monitored by the Government of South Australia Department of Human Services. If information means an individual's clearance status is changed or revoked, the individual and the organisation will be notified in writing.
3.2.5 Victoria
Working With Children Check
Applicants complete an online application. Applicants are required to verify their identity through the application process either online or in-person at a participating Australia Post outlet. Throughout the online application process, applicants will be prompted to enter the ‘Organisation Details’ for parkrun Australia - these details include Organisation name, Postal Address of the Organisation, Phone. Applicants are then required to enter an ‘Occupational Field’ - The prompt advises: Select the best fit for your role from the list of child-related occupational fields. The most relevant response is: 42 Clubs, associations or movements of a cultural, recreational or sporting nature. Applicants are then required to read and accept the ‘Consent and declaration’ prior to submitting the application.
There are 2 online applications available for Victorian applicants:
Applications take approximately three weeks to be processed by the Victorian Government Department of Justice and Safety. The applicant will receive email notification of the outcome, followed by the physical WWC card in the mail within two weeks. parkrun HQ will receive an outcome notification in the mail.
A Victorian Working With Children Check card is valid for five years unless surrendered or revoked.