If you are a dentist registered in NSW or the ACT, you and your staff may be required to obtain a Working with Children Check clearance.
In NSW this is referred to as the Working with Children Check, and it is managed by the Home | Office of the Children’s Guardian (nsw.gov.au)
In the ACT this is referred to as Working with Vulnerable People and it is managed by Working With Vulnerable People – Access Canberra (act.gov.au )
NSW – Working with Children Check (WWCC) Clearance
A Working with Children Check clearance is an authorisation to engage in ‘child-related work ’and this includes the provision of child dental services.
NSW Health requires dentists to have a WWCC clearance, and this applies to all those working in the public sector as well as private practitioners providing treatment under the Oral Health Fee For Service Scheme (OHFFSS) in a private practice. Clearances ordinarily last 5 years.
Dentists working in private practice, who would routinely have an adult assistant (and/or parent or guardian) in the treatment room at all times, qualify for an exemption and are NOT required to obtain a WWCC.
What if a Clearance is Cancelled?
A clearance will be cancelled if a dentist is identified as posing a risk to the safety of children, and this may relate to criminal charges or convictions. Such a risk would also likely trigger notification requirements to Ahpra, and dentists have obligations to report relevant events within 7 days of awareness under s130 of the National Law. Cancellation of a clearance will not ordinarily prevent dentists from treating children as private patients.
ACT – Working with Vulnerable People registration (WWVP)
Health practitioners do NOT need to be registered for WWVP when practicing in the ACT.
A person is defined as being vulnerable if they are a child under the age of 18 years or an adult who is experiencing disadvantage and accesses a regulated activity or service related to the disadvantaged.
Who else does not need to be registered?
The website states that not everyone who encounters vulnerable people as part of their work or volunteering activities needs to be registered. This includes where the person is:
Working or volunteering as a police officer, an Australian Federal Police appointee, a registered health professional or health practitioner, a lawyer, a staff member of an approved aged care provider or a financial services licensee.
LINKS
NSW
https://ocg.nsw.gov.au/working-children-check
ACT
https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/business-and-work/working-with-vulnerable-people
Disclaimer: This is one of a series of Advisory Services information sheets created by ADA NSW. They are intended as general guides that highlight key pieces of information frequently requested. They do not set out to provide comprehensive information about a topic and they are not legal advice. Please be mindful that information provided in these resources can change after the publication date.
