Every document you need before starting a work placement

Missing paperwork is the most common cause of a delayed placement start. Almost all of it is avoidable with four to six weeks of lead time.

Nothing here is complicated. It is simply that several of these take weeks to process, they are usually needed together, and students tend to discover the requirement rather than plan for it.

Background checks

National Police Check

Required across almost every care sector. Apply through an accredited provider or your state police. Typically returned within a few days, but can take considerably longer if your name is common or you have lived overseas. Most facilities require one issued within the last twelve months.

Working with Children Check

Mandatory for any placement involving people under 18 — childcare, schools, out-of-school-hours care, youth services. Administered separately by each state and territory, and generally not transferable between them. Apply the day you enrol.

NDIS Worker Screening Check

Required for placements in NDIS-registered disability services. Separate from both of the above, with its own application process and its own processing time.

Health and immunisation

• Immunisation history statement — available through your Medicare online account or the Australian Immunisation Register
• Influenza vaccination — required annually by most aged care and many childcare providers
• COVID-19 vaccination — requirements vary by facility and by state; confirm before you apply
• Hepatitis B — commonly required in health and some care settings, and it is a multi-dose course, so start early
• Tuberculosis screening — sometimes required in health settings, particularly if you have lived in a high-incidence country

Certifications

• First Aid (HLTAID011) — commonly a prerequisite rather than something gained on placement
• CPR (HLTAID009) — requires annual renewal, unlike the broader first aid certificate
• Asthma and anaphylaxis management — required in most education and care services
• Food Safety / Food Handling — for hospitality, commercial cookery and some care settings
• Manual handling — sometimes provided at induction, sometimes required beforehand
• Responsible Service of Alcohol — for hospitality placements involving licensed premises

Placement paperwork

The tri-partite placement agreement

Signed by you, your RTO and the host facility. It should specify the hours, the period, the units being addressed, the named supervisor, the supervision arrangement, and the responsibilities of each party. Do not begin unpaid work without it.

Evidence of insurance

Your RTO should hold public liability and personal accident cover for students on placement, and be able to produce current certificates of currency. The host will usually ask for these. Get copies before you need them.

Logbook or hours record

However your RTO records hours — paper logbook, portal, form — have it ready from day one and complete it contemporaneously. Retrospective reconstruction is weak evidence and looks it.

Unit list and assessment requirements

The host supervisor needs to know what you are being assessed against. Bring it, do not assume it has been sent.

Identity and eligibility

• Photo identification — driver licence or passport
• Tax file number, if the placement may convert to paid employment
• Visa evidence and work rights, if you are an international student — including confirmation that vocational placement forming part of your course is permitted
• Unique Student Identifier (USI) — required for your qualification to be issued

A workable timeline

1. Six weeks out: Lodge police check, WWCC and NDIS screening as applicable. Request immunisation history.
2. Five weeks out: Book first aid and CPR if not current. Chase any outstanding vaccinations.
3. Four weeks out: Request placement agreement template and insurance certificates from your RTO.
4. Three weeks out: Begin approaching facilities with the complete pack attached.
5. Two weeks out: Agreement signed by all three parties. Induction scheduled.
6. One week out: Confirm start time, uniform, parking and who to ask for on arrival.

State-by-state differences that catch people out

Several of the required checks are administered at state or territory level rather than nationally, and they are generally not portable. If you study in one state and take a placement in another — which happens more often than you would think in border regions — you may need both.

• Working with Children: Victoria's WWCC, NSW's WWCC, Queensland's Blue Card, WA's WWC Check, SA's Working with Children Check, Tasmania's Registration to Work with Vulnerable People, ACT and NT equivalents — each with its own application, fee and processing time
• Police checks: nationally coordinated but issued through accredited bodies with varying turnaround
• NDIS Worker Screening: applied for through your state or territory, recognised nationally once issued

Check the requirement for the state where the placement will occur, not where you study.

Expiry dates and keeping things current

Several documents expire, and an expiry mid-placement causes a bigger problem than an expiry beforehand — a facility may have to stand you down until it is renewed.

• CPR (HLTAID009) — annual renewal, and this is the one most commonly overlooked
• First aid (HLTAID011) — generally three years
• Influenza vaccination — annual, and most care facilities require the current season's
• Working with Children Check — typically five years, varying by jurisdiction
• Police check — no formal expiry, but most facilities will not accept one older than twelve months

Before you start, check that every document will still be valid on your final day, not just your first.

What to do about a disclosable court outcome

If you have a criminal record, do not assume it excludes you and do not conceal it. Screening bodies assess relevance rather than applying a blanket exclusion — the nature of the offence, how long ago, and its relationship to the work all matter.

What does reliably cause a problem is non-disclosure. Being found to have concealed something is treated far more seriously than the underlying matter in most cases. Disclose, and speak to your RTO early so any issue is identified before you have invested months in a qualification you cannot use.

Organising it so you only do this once

Build a single folder — cloud storage works well — with a consistent naming convention including the expiry date, for example PoliceCheck_2026-03-14.pdf. Set calendar reminders sixty days before each expiry.

Then create a one-page summary listing every document, its issue date and its expiry. When a facility asks what you hold, you send one page instead of eight attachments and a paragraph of explanation. It is a small thing that makes you noticeably easier to deal with, and facilities notice.

Keep it all in one place

Create a single folder — physical or digital — with every document in it, and take it to every placement conversation. Being able to send a complete pack in one email is a genuine advantage when a facility is deciding between applicants.

Keep everything after you finish, too. Renewals come around, and the next placement or job will ask for most of the same things.