Blue cards for child accommodation services
You need a blue card if you:
- provide a child accommodation service
- provide a homestay to a child
- are an adult living in a home where homestay services are provided
- provide services or activities to children at an overnight camp or excursion
- operate a business that provides child accommodation services.
Child accommodation services include:
- homestay providers
- exchange programs, such as an international student exchange
- overnight camps or excursions
- youth shelters
If you are participating solely in daytime activities of a camp or excursion, you are not classified under this category. However, you may fall under another category of regulated employment or business.
Employees and volunteers
Homestays
If you are providing a homestay to a child, both the homestay provider and every adult living in the home, must hold a blue card.
Whether a person living in the home or only visiting will depend on their circumstances. Relevant factors include:
Examples
A blue card is needed if you:
- are an adult living in a home where homestay services are provided
- will be providing a homestay to children, including an international student exchange program, through a school or homestay facilitation service
- are a homestay student who will be turning 18 during your stay, provided you are residing in the home
- are a Queensland sworn police officer or registered teacher who provides homestay to students.
a blue card is not needed if you are:
- under 18 and living in a home where homestay services are provided
- visiting a home where homestay services are provided, such as a friend or family member staying overnight
- a relative providing homestay services to a child
Overnight camps
If your work, volunteer duties or business activities include providing services or activities to children at an overnight camp or excursion, you need a blue card.
This applies regardless of the type of accommodation or the number of children involved.
A blue card is not needed if you are a tradesperson or maintenance worker whose role:
- is limited to the maintenance, repairing or operating the site
- does not involve staying overnight
- only permits incidental contact with children.
For more information, see blue card for overnight camps or excursions.
Business owners or operators
If you own or operate a child accommodation service, you need a blue card.
Examples
a blue card is needed if you are a:
- business operator who facilitates homestay arrangements with schools
- business owner who organises volunteers to provide child accommodation services.
- business owner who operates overnight camps or excursions for children.
a blue card is not needed if you are a:
- business operator of a women’s or men’s shelter, provided they don’t offer regulated child-related services such as childminding
- business operator of a domestic violence shelter.
Other accommodation services
For child accommodation services provided:
- at a school, see the schools board facility category
- in a youth shelter, check the residential facility category
- for kinship and foster care review both: