Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) Policy Template
Protect residents from harm before employment begins — a comprehensive WWVP screening policy covering all staff, volunteers, contractors, and students in your facility.
Overview
All people working with aged care residents must be screened for suitability through a combination of national police checks and jurisdiction-specific Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) or Working with Children Checks (WWCC). While these checks are often managed under the Recruitment Policy, the complexity of ongoing check renewal, contractor screening, and multi-state obligations warrants a dedicated standalone policy. This template establishes a comprehensive screening governance framework for all workforce categories.
What This Policy Covers
- Scope: employees, contractors, volunteers, students, and visiting practitioners
- National Police Check requirements and acceptable timeframes
- State/territory WWVP/WWCC check requirements by jurisdiction
- Aged Care Worker Screening (national framework obligations)
- Pre-commencement check completion requirements
- Ongoing renewal obligations and reminder systems
- Management of adverse check results
- Restrictions on unsupervised access pending check completion
- Record-keeping and confidentiality obligations for check results
- Reporting obligations for disqualified workers
Compliance Alignment
- Aged Care Act 1997 – Key Personnel suitability requirements
- Aged Care Quality Standard 7 – Human Resources
- Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act (jurisdiction-specific)
- Aged Care Worker Screening database obligations
- Privacy Act 1988 (handling criminal check records)
Why This Policy Matters
Permitting a staff member or contractor to work unsupervised with residents without a current WWVP check is a serious breach of the provider's duty of care and a direct ACQSC non-compliance trigger. Renewal lapses — particularly for long-term employees — are a common and avoidable finding. A dedicated WWVP policy with a systematic renewal reminder process eliminates this risk.
