Blue cards for education and care services

You will need a blue card if you will be doing any work in education and care service premises while children are present. In general, an education and care service is a service other than a school that provides regular education and care to children under 13, although there are other exemptions. This includes services such as outside school hours care, family day care, childcare and kindergarten.

You will need a blue card if you are:

• someone who provides education or assistance in an education and care service
• someone who works or volunteers at an education and care service while children are present
• an adult who lives in a home where an education and care service is provided, including people who are not normally in the home while children are present
• someone who supervises a student’s practical placement in an education and care service premises, for example assessing a student’s work while they are doing a placement
• a tradesperson whose usual work is performed while children are present, including entering the education and care service premises to consult with staff before doing any work
• a student—including under the age of 18—doing a practical placement in an education and care service.

Under this category you don't need a blue card if you are a:

• parent volunteering at their child’s education and care service, unless you are a restricted person who cannot rely on this exemption
• person doing work outside the operating hours at the education and care service premises, for example a tradesperson who only does work at night or on the weekend and does not enter the premises while children are present.