Blue cards for legal professionals

Employees and volunteers

You need a blue card if your usual duties are giving legal support or advocacy to children.

This includes support provided:

• when you are alone with a child
• online
• over the phone
• as part of court or other legal proceedings.

Examples

You need a blue card if you are:

• a lawyer giving legal advice to a child
• a legal professional meeting alone with a child about a legal matter
• a legal professional giving legal support to a child online
• a legal professional giving legal support to a child over the phone
• a lawyer supporting a child victim or witness in legal proceedings
• a lawyer volunteering to provide legal support to children
• a legal professional providing advocacy for children
• a legal professional providing mentoring, emotional support or pastoral care as part of a legal support service.

You do not need a blue card if you are:

• a receptionist who greets children at a law office
• an administration worker who only has incidental contact with children
• a lawyer whose work does not involve providing services to children
• a lawyer acting only for adults.

Business owners and operators

You need a blue card if you own, operate or control a business that usually provides legal support services to children.

This includes services provided:

• in person when a worker is alone with a child
• online
• over the phone.

Examples

You need a blue card if you are:

• a sole practitioner who provides legal support services to children
• a partner in a legal practice that provides legal support services to children
• a business owner whose legal practice provides legal support services to children
• an executive officer of a legal practice that provides legal support services to children
• a sole practitioner who provides legal support to children online or over the phone
• a partner or business owner whose workers meet alone with children to provide support for legal proceedings
• a partner, business owner or executive officer whose workers provide emotional support, mentoring or pastoral care to children as part of legal proceedings.

You do not need a blue card is if you are:

• a sole practitioner who provides services only to adults
• a partner or business owner whose business does not usually provide services to children.

More information

You can find more information about:

• executive officers and board or committee members
• linking requirements for organisations
• when you don’t need a blue card
• who cannot apply for or hold a blue card
• applying for a blue or exemption card.