Blue cards for volunteers
Volunteers and volunteer organisations play an important role in supporting the community. If you run a volunteer organisation or are looking to volunteer to work with children, you may need a blue card.
For the purpose of the blue card system, volunteers are considered to be employees with the organisation or entity they are volunteering for, their employer.
To support volunteers there is no fee for lodging a volunteer application, however, to ensure that you are a genuine volunteer you need to be linked to the organisation you are proposing to volunteer with before you apply.
Volunteers
Whether you need a blue card will depend on the environment where the work is performed, type of work and if an exemption applies. In some cases, you can rely on an exemption, such as the:
- under 18 volunteers
- parent volunteer (unless overnight camp or close personal contact)
- frequency (unless overnight camp or close personal contact)
- help or guidance to a child employee i.e. work experience
- disability work (where you are employed and receive disability services).
However, if you are a restricted person, none of the above exemptions can apply to you.
Read below to understand when volunteers may need to hold a blue card.
Examples
A blue card may be required if you volunteer with children at a:
- Sporting club: If you coach, referee, train or otherwise oversee children’s sports, a blue card is required under the churches, clubs and associations category.
- Church or other religious institution: If you work with children as part of a Sunday school or youth group, you will need a blue card under the churches, clubs and associations or religious representatives categories.
- School: If you volunteer at a school or provide activities or services to children within a school, you will need a blue card under the school-employees other than teachers category.
- Kindergarten or childcare: If you volunteer at a kindergarten or childcare you will need a blue card under the education and care services category.
- Gym, martial arts club or other fitness institution: If you volunteer at any fitness institution you will need a blue card under the sport, active recreation, gyms and play facilities category.
- Beauty pageant or as part of a children’s show: If you volunteer as part of a children’s show or work with children as part of a beauty pageant, then a blue card is needed under the entertainment, beauty and photography services category.
We have more information for volunteers to understand when they don’t need a blue card to volunteer with children. Learn when you don’t need a blue card.
Volunteering at overnight camps
If you are volunteering by providing services or activities to children on an overnight camp or overnight excursion you cannot rely on the frequency or parent volunteer exemptions, and must obtain a blue card before attending this event.
Read more about blue cards for overnight camps.
Changing from volunteer to a paid
If you are an existing volunteer card holder and intend to start in a paid child-related work or business, you must transfer your existing volunteer card to a paid card.
Learn about transferring from a volunteer card to a paid card.