When you don't need a blue card
Not all environments involving children mean a person needs to hold a blue card.
Under the Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) Act 2000 (the Act) you may be exempt from needing to apply for a blue card in certain situations. If you are restricted person you cannot rely on any of the below exemptions.
Here are exemptions available under the Act:
Under 18 volunteers
If you are under 18 and volunteering, you do not need a blue card unless you are a restricted person or a trainee student of an education provider and the employment or work experience is part of your course.
Learn more about blue cards for young people.
Parent volunteers
Under the parent volunteer exemption, you do not need a blue card to volunteer for activities your own child is participating in, unless:
- the activity is an overnight camp or excursion
- the service or activity includes close personal contact with a child, such bathing, toileting or dressing.
- You will need a blue card to volunteer for activities your child isn’t directly participating in.
This exemption does not apply to a restricted person.
For the exemption, a parent of a child is defined as:
- the biological mother or father
- someone exercising parental responsibility
- someone who is regarded as the parent of the child under Aboriginal tradition
- someone who is regarded as the parent of the child under Torres Strait Island custom.
Other relatives (such as grandparents and uncle and aunts) are not considered parents and are not afforded the volunteer parent exemption.
Examples
A blue card is not needed if you are a volunteer parent:
- coaching your child’s under 14 soccer team
- timekeeping at your child’s under 16 swim meet
- umpiring your 12-year-old child’s Saturday cricket match
- doing reading in your child’s year 3 class
- going on a day trip excursion to the zoo with your child’s year 6 class
- refereeing a school rugby league match your child is playing in
- timekeeping for a school sports day that your child is participating in.
A blue card is needed if you:
- are coaching team your child is not part of, even if your child plays for another team at the same club
- reading with a class other than your child’s, even if it is at your child’s school.
- go on an overnight camp or excursion with your child’s under 10’s soccer team
- are required to help children (other than your own child) to go to the toilet
- go on an overnight school, club or sports camp
- are required to help children (other than your own child) to change their clothes or costume.
Frequency
If you work or volunteer with children less than 7 days in a calendar year, you will not need a blue card unless you are:
- working or volunteering as part of an overnight camp (including school camps or sporting camps)
- running a business.
This exemption does not apply to a restricted person.
A calendar year is from 1 January to 31 December, and a day is for any period of time in one day, regardless of whether it is a full day or part day.
The 7-day frequency exemption applies to volunteering for all regulated organisations not just a single organisation.
For example, if you volunteer to work with children for a school for 3 days and for a sports club for 5 days, then you cannot rely on the frequency exemption as you would have exceeded the 7 day limit.
Providing help or guidance to a child employee
You do not need a blue card to supervise or work alongside someone who is under 18 years of age.
Examples
A blue card is not needed if you are:
- supervising a 17-year-old colleague or a student while they do work experience
- working alongside a 15-year-old colleague.
Disability work
Person with disability working for a disability services provider
You do not need a blue card to work at a place where you also receive disability services or NDIS supports or services, unless you are a restricted person.
If you are a person with disability and employed at a place where you also receive disability services or NDIS supports or services, you do not need a blue card, unless you are a restricted person.
Secondary school student on work experience
You do not need a blue card to perform disability-related work if you are a secondary school student on work experience under the direct supervision of a person who holds a blue or exemption card, unless you are a restricted person.
Interstate and overseas emergency services workers
Interstate or overseas emergency services workers travelling to Queensland to perform emergency services during a declared disaster or significant fire event do not need a blue card.
A disaster situation is a disaster declared under the Disaster Management Act 2003 and a significant fire event is a fire event declared under the Fire Services Act 1990.
For example, a blue card is not needed for:
- a Canadian firefighter deployed to Queensland during a significant fire event
- a Victorian SES volunteer deployed to Queensland during a declared flood disaster.
Registered training organisation employee
Under the private teaching, coaching or tutoring category, working for a registered training organisation (RTO) does not require you to hold a blue card provided that you are teaching, coaching or tutoring at the RTO.
You will need a blue card to enter any regulated child-related environments such as a:
Examples
A blue card is not needed if you lecture on campus at TAFE, university, or another registered organisation.
A blue card is needed if:
- you provide you teach trade skills to students at a school
- you train employees at a youth detention centre
- you train support workers at a residential facility.
Exempt professions
If you are acting in your professional capacity as any of the below you will not need a blue card.
- Queensland registered teacher
- Queensland Police officers
- Registered health practitioners, including ambulance officers
- Corrective Services officers