Blue cards for working in shelters
Not everyone needs a blue or exemption card to carry out work within a shelter.
To carry out any work within a shelter for children or youth or to work with children at an adult shelter, a blue card may be required under one of the following regulated categories of employment or business:
- residential facilities
- childcare services employment or business
- sport and active recreation employment or business
- private teaching, coaching or tutoring employment or business
- health, counselling and support services employment or business
- churches, clubs, and associations.
The regulated categories of employment and business operate in 2 ways:
- some will require a person to hold a blue card to carry out any work in the environment
- others require a person to hold a blue card to provide services or conduct activities directed mainly towards children.
Types of shelters
Whether you need a blue card also depends on what type of shelter you plan to work at.
Adult-only shelter
A blue card is not required to work with adults within an adult-only shelter where no services are being provided to children, even if children may be present.
Adult shelters where children may be present
Shelters for adults where children may occasionally be present are not ‘residential facilities’, meaning not everyone employed in the adult shelter will need a blue card.
A blue card may be required if other separate activities/services are being provided towards children, when those activities/services can be caught under one of the other regulated employment or business categories.
Scenario | Blue card requirement |
I run a business and provide sporting activities for the children of the adults in the shelter. | Yes, a blue card is required under the Sport and active recreation category of regulated business. |
I work as an administrator and my role includes being the first aid officer, where I provide first aid to anyone using the services at the shelter, including children. | Yes, a blue card is required under the Health, counselling and support services category of regulated employment. |
I volunteer my time doing arts and craft with the children at the shelter. Their parents are not present for these activities. | Yes, a blue card is required under the Sport and active recreation or the Churches, clubs and associations categories of regulated employment depending on your organisation. |
I am employed to deliver a trauma program to children of the adult women and men in the shelter. | Yes, a blue card is required under the Health, counselling and support services category of regulated employment. |
I am employed to care for the children of the adult women and men in the shelter while they attend appointments / support groups. | Yes, a blue card is required under the |
I am a Queensland registered teacher who is paid to provide tutoring to the children of the adult women and men in the shelter. | Yes, an exemption card is required under the Private teaching, coaching or tutoring category of regulated employment. |
Youth or children shelters
If the shelter’s main purpose is to accommodate children—such as a youth shelter or a safe house—anyone working in that facility will require a blue card under the Residential facilities category of regulated employment. A child is any person under the age of 18.
For example, read the scenarios below to see how this works in practice.
Shelter type | Scenario | Blue card requirement |
Child Safety accommodation service | I am employed as a cleaner at an accommodation facility for children waiting to be placed in foster care, but I do not provide direct services to the children. | Yes, a blue card is required under the Residential facilities category of regulated employment. |
Safe house | I am a contractor who conducts repairs and maintenance within a safe house for children. | Yes, a blue card is required under the Residential facilities category of regulated employment. |
More information
Find out about organisations’ obligations under the blue card system.