Blue cards for health, counselling and support services

When you need a blue card

You need a blue card if you provide:

• health services to children
• counselling services to children
• support services to children.

Health services can include personal care, respite care, massage and other health services. This also includes services provided by health students.

Counselling helps children deal with personal, social or emotional problems.

Support services can include emotional support, mentoring, pastoral care and legal support.

Employees and volunteers

You need a blue card if your work includes these services for children.

Health services

A health service helps children stay healthy or improve their health or wellbeing.

This includes services provided at a health facility, such as:

• children’s hospital
• child health clinics
• services provided in other locations.

A blue card is needed for:

• health screening for children
• personal care for a child, such as helping with hygiene, dressing or mobility
• respite care for children
• massage for children
• acupuncture, naturopathy or other alternative health services for children
• speech pathology for children
• some private ambulance services at junior sporting events
• health students doing placement that involves children.

Counselling services

Counselling provides help or guidance for personal, social or emotional problems.

A blue card is needed for:

• face-to-face counselling for a child
• counselling by phone for a child
• online counselling for a child.

Support services

Support services can include emotional support, mentoring, pastoral care and legal support.

A blue card is needed for:

• providing emotional support to a child
• mentoring a child
• providing pastoral care to a child
• supporting a child who is a victim or witness in court
• giving one-on-one legal support or advice to a child.

When you do not need a blue card

You do not need a blue card in some situations.

This includes:

• a registered health practitioner working in their professional role
• a Queensland registered teacher doing their usual work for their school
• a person working for a licensed care service
• a parent volunteering in their own child’s activities
• a cleaner or maintenance worker at a hospital
• a person only providing health or counselling services to adults.