Blue card obligations for organisations
Organisations, business operators and self-employed business operators have responsibilities under the blue card system.
You may face penalties if you do not meet these obligations.
What your organisation must do
Your organisation must:
- check that a person has a valid blue card or exemption card before they start
- take reasonable steps to check the person's identity
- link applicants and card holders before they start work
- delink applicants and card holder when they stop working
- keep an employee register
- comply with requests for information, records or audit
- keep your organisation’s information up to date.
Applicants and card holders also have obligations under the blue card system.
Check the card is valid
Before a person starts in child-related work, you must check they have a valid blue card or exemption card.
You can use the blue card validity checker.
If you use the Organisation Portal, you can link a person through the portal. You can then check if they have a valid blue card or exemption card.
Linking applicants and card holders
You must link an applicant or blue card or exemption card holder before they start child-related work.
You can link through the Organisation Portal. You can also use a paper link form.
Students and volunteers can apply for a free card if they are linked to their education training provider or volunteer organisation.
You should delink an applicant or card holder when they stop working or volunteering with your organisation.
See linking requirements for organisations for more information.
Keeping an employee register
Your organisation must keep an employee register.
The register must include all:
- business operators
- paid employees
- volunteers.
What you must record
For each employee and volunteer, record:
- name
- date of birth
- whether they need a blue card or exemption card.
If they need a blue card or exemption card, also record:
- their application status
- their card number
- their card expiry date.
Application status may include:
- no application made
- application made
- blue card or exemption card held.
If they do not need a blue card or exemption card, record whether they:
- work in regulated employment
- work under restricted employment using an exemption
- have an exemption because of their profession.
If you use the Organisation Portal, some register details are added for you. This applies to applicants and card holders.
You must keep a separate employee register for people who:
Employee register template
You can download the employee register template to help you meet your obligations.
We can audit your organisation.
If a Blue Card Services officer asks for your register, you must provide a copy.
You can provide the register in:
- electronic form
- paper form.
Monitoring and compliance
Blue Card Services checks organisations and people to make sure they follow the blue card system.
You must comply with a lawful request from us to provide information or documents. You do not have to comply if you have a reasonable excuse.
Penalties may apply if you do not comply.
Tell us when your details change
You must tell us if your organisation’s details change.
This includes changes to your:
- name
- address
- contact details
- authorised contacts
You must also tell us if an authorised contact changes their name.
You can update your details online.
You can also submit a paper form.
Self-employed business operators
If you are a self-employed business operator, you also have obligations under the blue card system.
You must notify us within 7 days if:
- your details change
- you stop running a regulated business
- change to a disclosable matter
- you start another regulated business.
See individual obligations as a card holder for more information.
Changes to police information
Your organisation does not need to tell us when an applicant, card holder, employee or volunteer has a change in their police information.
Applicants and card holders must tell us immediately if their police information changes.
Your organisation may still ask employees to report changes in police information.
We will tell you if a card holder's change in police information is relevant to child-related work.
Suspended blue card or exemption card
If we tell you that a person’s blue card or exemption card has been suspended, you must not:
- let the person to start child-related work
- let the person continue child-related work
- engage the person in restricted employment.
We will tell you if:
- the suspension ends
- the card is cancelled.
A person with a suspended card is a restricted person.
Cancelled blue card or exemption card
If we tell you that a person’s blue card or exemption card has been cancelled, you must not:
- let the person to start child-related work
- let the person continue child-related work
- engage the person in restricted employment.
If the persons is also given a negative notice, they are a restricted person.
Restricted person and restricted employment
There are extra rules for restricted people.
As an organisation or business operator, you must not employ or continue to employ a restricted person.
A restricted person is a person who either:
- has been given a negative notice
- has a suspended blue 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, which is:
- volunteering as a parent
- volunteering when under 18
- working in child-related regulated employment for no more than 7 days in a 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.
To check your employees and volunteer, use our Restricted Employment Declaration template. You can use the digital and paper template.
The declaration helps organisations confirm that a person who relies on an exemption is not a restricted person.
It is an offence to allow a restricted person to work in regulated or restricted employment. Severe penalties apply.
More information
You can find more information about: