Prescribed notices (Blue Card)
The Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian is responsible for processing criminal history checks for certain categories of child-related employment and for issuing prescribed notices (blue card). People working in and involved with child care services, will be required to have a current positive prescribed notice.
Applications for a prescribed notice are made to the Commission. The licensee of a service will be required to keep originals or certified copies of blue cards as part of their records to demonstrate compliance with licensing requirements (section 74 of the Child Care Act 2002).
Under the Child Care Act 2002 (the Act), the following people will be required to have blue cards issued by the Commission:
- licensees, including the directors of the licensed corporations
- carers and other staff who work in child care centres
- carers in licensed home based care
- carers in stand alone home based care
- co-residents and people who are ordinarily present when licensed home based care is being provided
- other people who come into regular contact with children in a child care service because of the work that they do (for example, contract bus drivers engaged by the licensee to deliver children each day to the centre).
In addition, people who work in commercial child care services that are not regulated by the child care legislation, will be required to have blue cards (for example, commercial nanny and babysitting agencies).
If the Department of Communities suspects that a person residing with a stand alone home based carer has a criminal history, the person may be requested to apply for a blue card from the Commission (section 139 of the Act).
Last updated: 23 June 2008.