WA invites public feedback on Phase 2 reforms to strengthen Working with Children Checks

Stakeholders who work with or care for children in Western Australia are invited to participate in a public consultation on Phase 2 reforms of the Working with Children (Screening) Act 2004. Led by the Department of Communities, the consultation seeks feedback on proposed changes designed to further strengthen protections for children across the state.

The Phase 2 reforms aim to:

• Strengthen protections for WA children under the Working with Children (Screening) Act 2004 
• Reforms address recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse’s 2015 Working with Children Checks Report

This consultation represents the second phase of reform following the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Phase 1 commenced in July 2023 with the substantive rollout of the Working with Children (Criminal Record Checking) Amendment Act 2022.

Focus of Phase 2 reforms

The proposed changes build on this foundation by focusing on:

• Improve protections for WA’s children by updating the WWC Act’s scope to reflect contemporary service provision.
• Ensure a consistent level of protection for children regardless of where they live, by increasing national consistency across State and Territory WWC Schemes to the extent possible and appropriate.
• Focus on changes to the categories of child-related work and access to exemptions from those categories.
• Progress national recognition and portability of WWC Check outcomes across states and territories, as agreed to at a recent Standing Council of Attorneys General

At the recent Standing Council of Attorneys-General meeting on 15 August 2025, Attorneys-General agreed to urgently progress national mutual recognition of negative WWCC decisions. 

Child Protection Minister Jessica Stojkovski stressed the importance of collective responsibility in safeguarding children:

“Strengthening the Working with Children Act and making it tougher for people who pose an unacceptable risk to children from getting a Working with Children Card will further support children to safely enjoy everyday activities like sport and schooling. These proposed reforms will help ensure that all children, wherever they live, are provided the best possible protections from harm. Protecting children is everyone’s responsibility.”

A public consultation process on these proposed Phase 2 changes has been initiated to ensure the potential reforms are designed and appropriate for WA’s children and communities. The Department of Communities invites organisations and individuals who work with children, parents and carers of children, and all other interested parties and individuals to provide their feedback

Have your say

Minister Stojkovski encourages participation, stating, “I encourage everyone who works with children in WA, or who is a parent, relative, or guardian of a child in WA, to make a submission on any issues of interest to them”. She also remarked, “We all have a part to play in keeping children safe”. Furthermore, she highlighted that while these changes aim to improve child-safe systems, “protecting children is everyone’s responsibility. It cannot be left to one organisation, one person, or one particular safeguard to ensure the protection of children across the community”

The Department of Communities is inviting feedback from organisations, educators, carers, parents and all interested members of the community. Submissions on the Phase 2 WWC Check Reforms consultation paper close 23 September 2025.

Feedback can be provided:

• Online: Have your say submission portal
• Email: [email protected]
• Post: Department of Communities, Strategy and Partnerships (Working with Children Reform), Locked Bag 5000, Fremantle WA 6959

More information, including the consultation paper, is available via the Department of Communities website here.