The National Continuous Checking Capability (NCCC) will enable continuous, near real-time monitoring of changes in criminal offence information of working with children and vulnerable people checks and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) entitlement holders.
How the NCCC will work
Each state and territory has government screening units responsible for assessing and issuing working with children and vulnerable people checks and NDIS entitlements to people who seek to work or volunteer with children and people with disability. Currently, screening units monitor individuals for changes in criminal offence information within their own jurisdiction.
Under the NCCC, when individuals apply for a working with children and vulnerable people checks or NDIS entitlement, they will be registered in the NCCC. When new or updated relevant criminal offence information is made available to the ACIC from police agencies about an entitlement holder, screening units will be notified of this change.
Screening units will then assess the information and make a decision about the suitability of the person to retain the entitlement.
Initially, screening units will receive notification of new or changed relevant Commonwealth and ACT criminal offences held by the Australian Federal Police for NCCC registered entitlement holders in near real time.
As additional police agencies are onboarded from 2027, screening units will gain access to offence information from these jurisdictions to monitor entitlement holders.
Why we are implementing the NCCC
The safety and protection of children, young people and people with disability is a key priority of the Australian Government.
Currently, all screening units have their own state-based continuous checking system, which includes relevant criminal history within their own jurisdiction against which they monitor their entitlement holders.
To date, there is no system in place that enables states and territories to monitor entitlement holders for changes in criminal information at a national level. This means an entitlement holder in one state or territory, could commit an offence in another state or territory, but continue to work or volunteer with our most vulnerable people.
The implementation of the NCCC will allow screening units to have national access to relevant criminal information in one system. This will enable screening units to be alerted when someone holding a registered NCCC working with children and vulnerable people checks or NDIS entitlement has a new or changed criminal charge or conviction anywhere in Australia.
This provides more information to decision makers to ensure people who commit relevant criminal offences can be assessed and removed from working with children and vulnerable people as quickly as possible.
The NCCC is also a critical prerequisite to delivering mutual recognition of WWCCs across Australia that will eventually allow workers to use their entitlement across all states and territories, rather than applying multiple times.
This work is being undertaken as part of the Australian Government’s broader effort to deliver the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse.
Timeline for delivery
In November 2025, the Standing Council of Attorneys-General endorsed a national agreement on Working with Children Check Reform, which included an operational national continuous checking capability. The Australian Government committed $37 million over 5 years to deliver this important initiative, in collaboration with states and territories.
The NCCC became adoption ready for screening units in December 2025.
As part of the Standing Council of Attorney’s General, a commitment was made for screening units to make best endeavours to onboard to the NCCC by the end of 2026 and the ACIC is working with them to support this commitment.
Police agencies will begin onboarding from 2027.
The ACIC will continue to deliver further NCCC functionality through to mid-2029.
