1. Introduction
BCS administers and regulates the Working with Children Check in Queensland. The governing legislation is the Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) Act 2000 (the WWC Act) and the Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) Regulation 2011 (the WWC Regulation).
The Compliance team uses a multidisciplinary approach to ensure regulated organisations fulfil their obligations and identify key risks facing children and young people in their child-related service environments.
Under the WWC Act, BCS audits and monitors compliance to ensure organisations and individuals are meeting their blue card requirements and creating safe and supportive environments for children. Where serious breaches are identified, or compliance cannot be established, the matter is referred to the Queensland Police Service (QPS) for investigation and possible prosecution.
BCS Compliance priorities include:
- Assisting organisations to create and maintain safe and supportive service environments for children.
- Ensuring identified high risk individuals (such as suspended/cancelled card holders or disqualified individuals) are not engaged in regulated employment or running regulated businesses. This includes employer notifications and seizing blue cards where necessary to create safer environments for children.
- Promoting practices and procedures within regulated service environments that hold the safety and wellbeing of children as paramount.
- Undertake targeted compliance initiatives where organisations have failed to fulfil their obligations and, therefore, have potentially not provided quality, child safe services to children.
- Continuing to enhance compliance and enforcement strategies that detect and take action against those who intentionally contravene or choose to operate outside the existing system.
