Linking requirements for organisations
If you are an organisation that provides regulated child-related services, you must ensure you link card holders to your organisation before they start working with children or young people.
No Card. No Link. No Start
All blue card holders and applicants are monitored daily by the Queensland Police Service. If there is a change in a person’s police information, we are notified and will assess whether the person should retain their blue card.
In some cases, we can take steps to immediately cancel a blue or exemption card and will notify all organisations which are linked to the person’s blue or exemption card.
If an organisation hasn’t told us they have engaged that person, we won’t know to tell the organisation about the change to the blue card status. This creates a real risk that the organisation will continue to employ somebody who is no longer eligible to work with children.
It is also an offence for your organisation to engage someone working with children if their blue card has been cancelled or suspended.
Link an applicant or card holder
Organisations such as employers and self-employed/business operators must let us know when a card holder starts or finishes with them.
Employers can:
- create a link to card holders using the Organisation Portal, or
- submit the Link a person to your organisation form (Opens in new window) to us.
Once the link is complete, the card holder (unpaid or paid) can start working in regulated employment.
Students and volunteers can only get their cards for free if they are linked to an organisation.
For new volunteer and student applicants the organisation must link the applicant before they can complete their online application.
When a paid employee, volunteer or student is already linked to an organisation, and they renew their blue or exemption card prior to their card expiring, the link will automatically carry over and the organisation won’t need to create another link.
If a card holder does not renew before the expiry date and their card expires, the link between the card holder and the organisation will be removed and they will be subject to No Card, No Start laws.
Linking sole/self-employed/business operators
If someone has an agreement to work in regulated employment with your organisation, you must link them as a volunteer, student or paid employee.
However, if a person is not directly employed or doesn’t have an agreement to work with your organisation—for example a sole/self-employed/business operator providing a regulated child-related service or activity—you are not required to link them.
An organisation may verify a blue or exemption card using the online validation tool.
Linking an NDIS provider
If you have engaged a sole/self-employed/business operator to provide NDIS supports and services to a child, you are considered a relevant person and are entitled to get notifications about their blue or exemption card status by completing a Link an NDIS self-employed/business operator form (Opens in new window) .
A relevant person includes:
- the child receiving the supports or services
- the child’s parent
- the child’s plan manager.
De-linking a card holder
If a person leaves your organisation, you can also de-link applicants and card holders using the Organisation Portal or submit the De-link a person from your organisation form to us.
More information
- Video: Linking volunteers to your organisation
- Video: Linking via the Organisation Portal
- Find out more about blue card obligations for organisations.
- Find out how existing blue card holders can change or finish child-related work.