To support the creation of safe learning environments for course participants, and to ensure Instructors conduct is aligned with the values of MHFA International, all Licensed Instructors are required to hold a valid Working With Children (WWCC) or an approved state alternative as part of their agreement to deliver MHFA training. Both volunteer and employment checks are accepted.
MHFA asks for your check to be submitted during an Instructor Training Course application, and then the maintenance of this check is a core ongoing license maintenance requirement for Licensed Instructors.
Please note: If licensed to deliver either the Teen MHFA course or Youth Yarns Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander course, you MUST hold a valid Working with Children Check in the state you are delivering the training. This would need to be in addition to the WWCC you hold from your state of residence, when applicable.
When a WWCC expires, an Instructor’s account will lapse until a current WWCC is uploaded to their Instructor Portal or new details are sent to MFHA for verification.
In the event a course license lapses, Instructors are not permitted to deliver MHFA courses associated with that license, and they cannot represent themselves as a Licensed MHFA Instructor for that course. To be reinstated as a Licensed MHFA Instructor after a license lapse, they must meet any maintenance requirements as specified by MHFAI.
Working with Children Checks have different names in different states. We accept either employment or volunteer Working with Children Check (or equivalents) from your state of residence. For example, both Tasmania and the ACT have a Working with Vulnerable People's check.
These are:
• VIC — http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/
• NSW — https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-working-children-check
• QLD* — https://www.bluecard.qld.gov.au/
• WA* — https://workingwithchildren.wa.gov.au/
• SA — https://screening.sa.gov.au/apply
• TAS — https://wwcforms.justice.tas.gov.au/RegistrationForm.aspx
• NT — https://forms.pfes.nt.gov.au/safent/
• ACT — https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/business-and-work/working-with-vulnerable-people/apply-for-or-renew-a-wwvp-registration
*For Instructors who reside in Queensland and Western Australia, individuals are only eligible to apply for a WWCC if they are directly working with children. In these instances, if Instructors do not work directly with children, they can provide us with a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check instead. In the Application/Card Number section, please write “Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check” and your reference number.
Approved WWCC's alternates per state:
VIC
• Victorian Institute of Teaching registration
QLD
• Queensland Register of Teachers registration
• QLD Health Employees: If unable to provide a Blue Card, can provide either a police check or a letter outlining the outcome of the Criminal History Check conducted by QLD Health.
• AHPRA Health Professionals, currently registered to practice (this alternative is under review and a decision on its continuance will come by the end of 2024)
WA
• Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (If deemed ineligible for a WA WWCC) - valid for one year from date of check
All states and territories
Police/Defence staff: Police or Staff ID numbers from your state of residence are accepted in place of WWCC numbers. Expiry date to be set 2 years from the date of submission. A copy of their employment ID or letter of employment is to be uploaded as an image when you submit your WWCC through the Instructor Portal.
This policy was created on the back of the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse. MHFAI reviewed its approach to supporting people who have experienced abuse or violence. As a result, we determined that we could and should do more to ensure that we continue to create safe learning environments for our course participants. In 2017 MHFA Australia implemented a policy that all staff and consultants were required to have a valid Working with Children Check, and this policy extends to cover all Instructors.
Working with Children's checks are our preferred safety and character check for Licensed Instructors delivering MFHA courses. Overall, the requirement for a Working with Children Check ensures that Mental Health First Aid Licensed Instructors are prepared to operate safely and responsibly in any setting where their training may be delivered.
Mental Health First Aid Licensed Instructors who do not directly work with children may still require a Working with Children Check for several reasons:
1. Training can be delivered in child related settings: Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses are delivered in various settings, including schools, workplaces, and community/youth centers. Even if instructors do not primarily work with children, they may conduct training sessions in environments where children are present or nearby, such as schools or community and youth centers.
2. MHFAI Policy requirements: The Working with Children's Check is the preferred safety and character check for Licensed Instructors delivering MHFA courses. Our policy ensures that Licensed Instructors meet safety standards and are deemed suitable to work in environments where they may interact with children, even indirectly.
3. Diversity of our course offerings: Some MHFA courses, such as Youth MHFA and Teen MHFA, specifically target adults who support young people or are directly delivered to young people. All Licensed Instructors are able to upgrade to deliver these courses.
4. Organisational and Community Standards: Organisations and communities that host MHFA training may have their own policies requiring external visitors or contractors to have a Working with Children Check, regardless of whether they directly interact with children.