Does Working with Children Check / Blue Card (state) apply to nDIS providers?
A computed answer from the Rules Mate applicability engine, with the exact condition, the outcome for every structure and size, and the primary source.
Short answer: Only if
Only if your workers or volunteers do child-related work. Being in this industry makes the obligation worth checking (Industry: NDIS providers), but the trigger is a fact the industry alone does not settle.
The obligation in brief
Working with Children Check / Blue Card (state). Working with children checks are run separately by each state and territory, and Queensland does not recognise checks issued elsewhere. Queensland's check is the blue card, regulated by the Working with Children Check Act 2000 and the Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) Regulation 2020 and run by Blue Card Services.
Trigger: Starting paid or volunteer work, or operating a business, in a regulated child-related category in Queensland.
Why ndis providers get a different answer
Rules Mate runs its applicability engine across 9 business structures and 6 size bands for each of the 35 industries it maps. For 32 of those industries the answer for "Working with Children Check / Blue Card (state)" is no. NDIS providers is one of the 3 where the answer is different: only if.
The deciding fact for nDIS providers: Industry: NDIS providers; applies only if your workers or volunteers do child-related work.
About the industry: Registered providers of disability supports under the NDIS.
Compare a professional services (general) business with 6–19 employees structured as a Pty Ltd company: the obligation does not apply (Requires an approved childcare service or a school).
Answer by business structure and size
Each cell is the engine's outcome for a business in ndis providers with that structure and size, assuming it sells to consumers and small businesses and holds customer contact details. "Check" means the obligation turns on a fact the industry does not settle.
| Structure | No employees | 1–5 employees | 6–19 employees | 20–99 employees | 100–499 employees | 500+ employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sole trader | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Partnership | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Trust | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Pty Ltd company | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Public company | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Not-for-profit (unregistered) | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Registered charity | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Super fund | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Foreign company | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
What the obligation requires
- When due
- Before the person starts regulated work: card or exemption-card application in place and the person linked to the organisation. Renewals may be lodged up to 16 weeks before expiry, and a reminder is sent 10 weeks before. Self-employed operators notify changes within 7 days.
- Evidence to keep
- Employee register for every business operator, paid employee and volunteer (name, date of birth, whether a card is needed, application status, card number and expiry); identity checks; portal link and delink records; restricted employment declarations for anyone relying on an exemption; responses to information requests.
- Maximum penalty
- Queensland, at $172.70 a penalty unit from 1 July 2026: running a regulated business without a card, up to 500 penalty units ($86,350) or 5 years' imprisonment; letting a worker start without a card or link, or employing a disqualified, negative-notice or suspended person, up to 200 penalty units ($34,540) or 2 years; failing to keep the employee register or answer an information notice, up to 50 penalty units ($8,635).
- Regulator
- See source
- Jurisdiction
- Commonwealth (national)
Other obligations where ndis providers differ from the norm
- Comply with NDIS Practice Standards: Only if
- Comply with NDIS Pricing Arrangements + Price Limits: Yes
- Comply with NDIS quality auditor cycle for registered providers: Only if
- Develop + authorise Behaviour Support Plans for restrictive practices: Only if
- Maintain controlled drugs register (Schedule 8 / 9): Only if
- NDIS fraud prevention + reporting obligations: Yes
- All 10 answers for ndis providers
Questions
- Does Working with Children Check / Blue Card (state) apply to nDIS providers?
- Only if your workers or volunteers do child-related work. Being in this industry makes the obligation worth checking (Industry: NDIS providers), but the trigger is a fact the industry alone does not settle.
- Is the answer the same for every industry?
- No. For 32 of the 35 industries Rules Mate maps, the answer is no. NDIS providers is one of 3 industries with a different answer.
Related
Sources
Computed by the Rules Mate applicability engine from the published obligation corpus; facts last checked 3 October 2026. Rules Mate is not a law firm and this is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your position with the regulator source or a qualified adviser before acting.