Blue card rights and obligations for individuals
If you apply for or hold a blue card, you have rights and obligations under the blue card system.
Organisations and business operators also have obligations.
Your rights
We aim to make the blue card process fair.
If we are doing a risk assessment and refuse your application, we will:
- explain the process
- explain how we will assess the information
- give you a copy of the information we have about you that we can assess
- give you a chance to tell us your side of the story
- consider the information you give us before we make a decision.
You also have the right to:
- withdraw your application before we make a decision
- cancel your blue card at any time
- use your valid blue card for other child-related work.
If we refused your blue card application, you may be able to ask the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) to review the decision.
Find out more about appealing a decision or read our Right to review fact sheet.
Your obligations
If you apply for or hold a blue card, you must meet certain obligations.
You could face penalties if you do not meet these obligations.
Tell us about changes within 7 days
if you are an applicant or card holder, you must tell us within 7 days if:
- your personal details change
- your work or business information changes
- you stop or start a child-related business
- your disclosable information changes.
Tell us about changes within 14 days
If you are a card holder, you must tell us within 14 days if:
- your card is lost
- your card is stolen
- you move from volunteer work to paid work or business.
Renew your blue card
You must renew your card before it expires if you want to keep doing child-related work regulated by the blue card system.
Tell us about changes to police information
If you apply for or hold a blue card or exemption card, you must tell us immediately if your police information changes.
Complete a change in police information notification.
This includes:
- a charge or conviction for an offence
- a finding of guilt or guilty plea, even if no conviction is recorded
- police information about an alleged serious child-related sexual offences, even if you have not been charged
- an application for a disqualification order
- an application for an offender prohibition order
- becoming subject to
- reporting obligations
- a child protection offender prohibition
- a disqualification order
- a sexual offender order.
We will tell employers about a change in police information if we considered it relevant to your child-related work.
Tell us about changes to disclosable information
If you apply for or hold a blue card or exemption card, you must tell us within 7 days if your disclosable information changes.
Complete a change in disclosable information notification.
This includes:
- the issue of a domestic violence order (whether temporary or final)
- a police protection notice
- a police protection direction
- a finding by a child protection agency in Australia or New Zealand that confirms an allegation of harm against you involving a child
- an adverse working with children check decision in another state or territory.
If your card is suspended
If your blue card or suspended card is suspended, you are a restricted person.
As a restricted person you must:
- not start or continue child-related work
- not start or continue a child-related business
- not work in restricted employment
- return your card to us immediately, unless you have already given it to the Queensland Police Service.
If your card is cancelled
If your blue card or exemption card is cancelled, you must:
- not start or continue child-related work
- not start or continue a child-related business
- return your card to us immediately, unless you have already given it to the Queensland Police Service.
If you are also given a negative notice, you are a restricted person.
Restricted person and restricted employment
A restricted person is someone who:
- has been given a negative notice
- has a suspended card
- is a disqualified person
- has been charged with a disqualifying offence that has not been finalised
- has an adverse Working with Children Check decision from another state or territory that is in effect.
A restricted person cannot do restricted employment.
Restricted employment includes:
- volunteering as a parent
- volunteering when you under 18
- working in child-related regulated employment for no more than 7 days in a calendar year, whether paid or unpaid
- working as a person with a disability who receives disability services or NDIS supports or services
- doing work experience as a secondary school student carrying out risk assessed NDIS work or disability services, even if a blue card holder supervises you.
If you are a restricted person, you must not do work that you are not allowed to do.
If you are a working or volunteering in restricted employment, you must stop immediately.
It is an offence to keep working or volunteering. You may be prosecuted.