Do Support Workers Need a Police Check? What the Rules Say

It depends on who engages you and what kind of work you do. If you deliver funded aged care services for a registered provider, the aged care rules set the worker screening requirements that provider must make sure you meet.

This guide sets out what the Rules say, who they cover and how to get your police check sorted before you apply for work.

What the Aged Care Rules 2025 require

The requirement sits with the registered provider. Under the Aged Care Act 2024, it is a condition of registration that a provider of a kind prescribed by the rules complies with the worker screening requirements the rules set, and ensures its aged care workers comply too.

The worker screening requirements are set in the Aged Care Rules 2025. For workers who deliver funded aged care services other than under CHSP or NATSIFACP, section 152-20 says the provider must ensure each aged care worker is one of the following:

• a person to whom section 152-25(1) applies, which covers a police certificate that is not more than 3 years old

• a person in respect of whom an NDIS clearance decision is in force

• a person whose police certificate or NDIS screening application is pending, who is subject to appropriate supervision and who has given the provider a statutory declaration (section 152-20(2))

Workers who deliver services only under CHSP or NATSIFACP are covered by a separate section, 152-21, so read that section if it describes your work.

What the police certificate must not show

Section 152-25(1) applies where the certificate does not record that you have been convicted of murder or sexual assault, or convicted of and sentenced to imprisonment for any other form of assault.

If you have been, at any time after turning 16, a citizen or permanent resident of a country other than Australia, section 152-25(1) also requires a statutory declaration stating that you have never been convicted of murder or sexual assault, or convicted of and sentenced to imprisonment for any other form of assault.

Who counts as an aged care worker

The Act defines an aged care worker of a registered provider as an individual employed or otherwise engaged by the provider to deliver funded aged care services. A note to that section says an individual engaged by a registered provider includes an independent contractor.

So the definition reaches beyond employees. What matters is whether you are engaged by a registered provider to deliver funded aged care services.

What counts as a police certificate

The Rules define a police certificate as a report about your criminal conviction record. It can be prepared by the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, an agency accredited by the Commission, or the police force or police service of a State or Territory.

For aged care workers in South Australia, the Aged Care Sector Employment Check also counts.

Checks asked for when you join

Independent support workers on CareVicinity must have a current police check, register their own ABN, and provide two professional references.

Independent support workers on CareVicinity are independent contractors; CareVicinity does not employ or assign them as staff.

Our guide to the three joining requirements explains how they fit together, and how to become an independent support worker walks through joining step by step. You can also see the requirements on the Deliver Care page.

Getting your police check ready

Start early, because you will need the certificate in hand before you can show it to anyone.

1. Choose an issuer from the list above. Check which kind the provider or organisation you want to work with accepts.

2. Note the issue date. Section 152-25(1) counts a police certificate that is not more than 3 years old.

3. Keep a copy. You may be asked for it again when you apply for other work.

4. Sort the rest of your paperwork at the same time. Your references take their own time, and leaving paperwork to the last minute is one of the common mistakes new support workers make.

FAQ

Does a police check last for ever?

Section 152-25(1) counts a police certificate that is not more than 3 years old. Check the age of your certificate against whatever the provider or organisation asks for.

Can I start work while my check is pending?

Only in the narrow case the Rules describe. Section 152-20(2) applies to a person whose police certificate or NDIS screening application is pending, who is appropriately supervised while it is pending and who has given the provider a statutory declaration. Do not assume it applies to you, and ask the provider.

Do I need both a police check and an NDIS clearance?

For aged care work under section 152-20, the Rules list a person in respect of whom an NDIS clearance decision is in force as one of the options, alongside a police certificate.

Is this the same for every kind of work?

No. The Rules in this guide are conditions on registered providers delivering funded aged care services, and they set a separate test for services delivered only under CHSP or NATSIFACP. If you are unsure which applies to the work you want, ask the provider who engages you.

Sources

• Aged Care Act 2024, sections 11 and 152, read 26 October 2026

• Aged Care Rules 2025, sections 152-20, 152-21 and 152-25 and the definition of police certificate, read 26 October 2026