Blue cards for the sporting and fitness industries
Anyone working or volunteering with children or young people under 18 years of age in activities regulated by the Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) Act 2000 (the Act) must have a blue or exemption card.
This can apply to a range of roles across the fitness and sporting industry, including personal trainers, coaches, gym instructors, swim teachers and massage therapists. Additionally it can include work that is carried out within sporting and recreation clubs, associations, studios and health services.
Under the Act, individuals may be captured under both employment and business categories. Depending on whether they are paid employees, volunteers or business owners, the categories may include:
- Churches, clubs and associations category of employment
- Health, counselling and support services category of employment or business
- Private teaching, coaching or tutoring category of employment or business
- Sport and active recreation category of employment or business.
When you don’t need a blue card
You don’t need a blue card if the services or activities are provided to a group of mixed age participants, or if the team includes 1 person under the age of 18, as the activities are not specifically provided to children.
Churches, clubs and associations involving children
You don’t need a blue card if you are:
- under the age of 18 volunteering as a coach or official, provided you are not a restricted person
- volunteering at the club canteen selling items.
Volunteer parents
Under this category an exemption may apply if a parent volunteers in an activity their child participates in, for example a parent volunteering to coach their child’s sports team. However, a restricted person cannot rely on this exemption.
We recommend parents speak directly with the club or executive body as they are best placed to determine whether the volunteer parent exemption applies.
Health, counselling and support services
You don’t need a blue card if you are a:
- registered health practitioner providing health services that relate to your professional role, for example an occupational therapist treating injured athletes
- mentor for a coach of a junior sporting club whose role is focused on the professional development of the head coach and you do not have contact with children.
When you do need a blue card
The below list is not an exhaustive list of when you need a blue card.
Churches, clubs and associations involving children
Some examples include:
- as a volunteer coach or assistant of a junior sporting team
- training or preparing nippers for a surf lifesaving competition
- chaperoning for a junior sports team on an interstate or international trip
- carrying out a role as a member of a board or committee for a community club or association which provides services or activities for children.
Health, counselling and support services
Some examples include:
- an employee of a private ambulance service who is not a registered health practitioner regularly engaged to attend junior sporting events
- a remedial massage therapist providing massage services to children for a triathlon.
Private, teaching, coaching or tutoring
Some examples include:
- operating a business / employed to provide private coaching to children or targeted child-related sports activities, such as swimming or martial arts to compete at junior championships on a commercial basis
- regularly coaching or instructing one-on-one training lessons to a child on a commercial basis.
Sport and active recreation
Some examples include:
- volunteering to support athletes at a junior swimming meet
- conducting one-on-one personal training sessions to a child
- operating a business that provides martial arts classes for children.