Working with Children Clearance - before you apply
Read the following information before you apply for a Working with Children Clearance (WWCC) in the Northern Territory (NT), also known as an Ochre Card.
If you are over the age of 15 and seeking to work with people under the age of 18, you are eligible to apply.
Your WWCC notice, the Ochre Card, is valid for 2 years.
You can use an Ochre Card issued for volunteering to do paid work with children if you start within the 2-year period.
You and your employer may be fined up to $97,000 each for working or volunteering with children in the NT without a valid clearance.
See how to apply for or renew a WWCC.
Information checked
A WWCC is an assessment of the risk of harm or exploitation that you may pose to children.
It involves a check of:
- your criminal history
- employment records
- character references
- reports about your recent behaviour.
The check is conducted by the NT Screening Authority, appointed by the Minister for Children.
The authority works with Screening Assessment for Employment in the NT (SAFE NT), a unit of the NT Police.
The information you submit to SAFE NT will be kept private unless it's required by law to be disclosed.
Renewing your clearance
A renewal involves new checks of your police history and employment records. It may take just as long as a new application to process.
If you're doing paid work at that time you apply to renew, you must pay the full fee to renew your clearance.
Changes to your clearance
You must tell SAFE NT if you're charged or convicted with a disqualifying offence or you appear in court in relation to one.
ID requirements
You must prove your identity by submitting your original identity documents or certified copies to apply for a Working with Children Clearance.
Your documents must be current and valid. Expired licences and passports will not be accepted.
If you cannot meet proof of identity requirements, contact SAFE NT on 1800 723 368 or safent.police@nt.gov.au for guidance.
Your documents must include at least one Category A document and have a combined value of 100 points or more based on the list below.
Category A
- Passport (Australian/foreign) - 70 points
- Australian driver licence - 40 points
- Australian issued firearms licence - 40 points
- Australian evidence of age card (18+) - 40 points
- Working with Children or vulnerable person Clearance - 40 points
- Community identity card or document with photo, name and date of birth from an Aboriginal Land Council - 40 points
Category B
- Australian citizenship certificate - 70 points
- Birth certificate - 70 points
- Centrelink cards - 25 points
- Government employee ID - 40 points
- A statutory declaration completed within the 3 months immediately before the date of your application and include a photograph of yourself - 40 points.
- The declaration must be completed and signed by an Australian resident who is not related to you and has known you for at least 12 months
- Medicare card - 25 points
- Property rates notice / utilities notice / lease agreement (with current residential address) - 25 points
- Bank statement (with current residential address) - 25 points
- Foreign driver licence - 25 points
Applying online or by post
- You must provide copies of your documents with a combined value of at least 100 points, based on the documents above.
- Images in your documents must be clear and text must be easy to read.
- Your face must be seen in any photographs provided.
- Do not send original documents to SAFE NT. Copies of your documents will not be returned.
Applying in person
You must bring all your identity documents with you when you apply.
Photo requirements
You must submit a photo of yourself with your application for a WWCC. This photo will be used on your Ochre Card.
Applying in person at SAFE NT
Your photo will be taken at the Darwin office. There is no cost for this service.
Other applications
You must submit a photo that meets all the following requirements:
- is less than six months old
- is 45mm to 50mm in height and 35mm to 40mm in width
- shows a close-up of your head and the top of your shoulders
- is centred and in focus
- was taken against a pale background with no shadows
- is a high quality image with no pixellation, ink marks or creases.
For online applications, your photo must be uploaded in JPG format.
For postal applications, or in-person applications to a Territory Business Centre or a Northern Territory police station, you must submit an original photo or a high-quality printed image.
SAFE NT will not accept photocopies of your image.
People who do not need clearance
You may not need a WWCC in some instances.
You do not need a clearance if all of the 4 following statements apply while you are volunteering in children’s services, a school, club, or association with significant child membership:
- your work does not involve an overnight stay
- you are a parent of one or more of the children you will have contact with
- you will be under the direct supervision of someone who holds a clearance
- your employer does not require you to hold a clearance.
You do not need a clearance if you are visiting the Northern Territory and volunteering with children for less than 30 days in a year in total.
You do not need a clearance to babysit or mind children as part of an agreement between family or friends.
You do not need a clearance to have a child stay in your home for less than seven days in a row, for example for school billeting.
You do not need a clearance if you are less than 15 years old.
You do not need a clearance to work or volunteer for a children’s entertainment or party service that provides food, equipment or a venue, if you have no contact with children.
This may include:
- workers at a restaurant
- performers on stage at a concert
- a catering company that delivers food.
You do not need a clearance to be an approved emergency carer under the Care and Protection of Children (Placement Arrangements) Regulations.
Your employer can apply for limited exemption for you to start work while your application is being processed.
Read more about how to get an exemption below.
Information for employers
You are responsible for making sure your relevant employees or volunteers in the NT have a valid WWCC.
You may be fined up to $97,000 for allowing someone to work or volunteer with children without a clearance.
Many employers keep records of when staff clearances expire. You should return your employee's original documentation once you have sighted it.
You can check a person's clearance online with their full name and date of birth.
Go to Territory Services to check the validity of a working with children number.
Get an exemption
You can apply on behalf of an employee for a short-term exemption to start or continue working with children while their application is being processed by SAFE NT.
You will need all of the following ready:
- a scanned copy of each employee's SAFE NT receipt from their Ochre Card application
- name and contact details for each employee
- a scanned copy of the employee's current Working With Children card from another Australian state (if applicable)
- evidence to demonstrate that your organisation has implemented child-safe strategies
- a valid email address.
For more information about exemptions, contact Department of Children and Families:
- email tf.exemptions@nt.gov.au
- call 08 8999 2619.