Working with Children Checks Are Holding Back the Care Workforce: Pinnacle People Explores the Hidden Cost of Compliance

Jasmine is an experienced catering assistant from regional Victoria. Employers want to hire her. The roles are there. The demand is urgent. But she doesn’t have a valid Working with Children Check and she doesn’t have the $128 to pay for it.

This story isn’t a one-off. It’s happening in every state, across every people-first sector, and it’s quietly draining the workforce of passionate, ready-to-work individuals.

Employers in the Aged Care and Child Services, and Education sectors are doing all they can to attract and support new staff. But are hitting a wall. And it’s one that can’t be elevated without government support.

Background Checks: A Crucial Tool with a Flawed System

Let’s be clear: Working with Children and Vulnerable People Checks are non-negotiable. They protect our communities and ensure only the right people enter roles of trust and care.
But here’s the disconnect they are expensive, inconsistent across states, and non-transferable.
And worse—the financial burden more often than not falls on the very people we’re relying on to deliver a service for others.

The Employer Dilemma: Paying Without a Guarantee

To help remove barriers, many employers offer to cover the cost of checks. It sounds fair in theory—help workers get started, absorb the cost, and onboard great people faster.
But in practice? It’s becoming a major financial and operational risk.

Here’s what’s happening:

• The company pay for a background check upfront.
• The candidate decides to not stay with the company long term
• The candidate uses the check elsewhere
• The Company are left out of pocket, with no return on that investment.

It’s not uncommon to spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars across multiple hires who never actually commence employment. For small and mid-sized businesses in particular, this model is unsustainable.
Even worse: if the company don’t offer to pay, they risk losing the candidate altogether.
Companies are trapped in a costly, frustrating loop—spending money to be competitive in hiring, but without any control over the outcome.

A Sector Held Hostage by Its Own Compliance

Our industries – aged care, disability support, education—are desperate to grow their teams. And yet, we’re being slowed down.

Let’s break down the cost reality again:

Multiply that by 10, 20, or 50 hires a year—and then factor in the ones who don’t stay. For some businesses, it’s enough to put the brakes on servicing the sectors altogether.

The Bigger Question: Why Is This Our Burden to Carry?

If the government wants to ensure public safety through these checks—as it absolutely should—then why is the financial burden falling on workers and small employers?
This isn’t just a business inconvenience. It’s a systemic flaw that is hurting our ability to grow and deliver essential services.

What Needs to Change

1. Fully Funded Checks for Care-Based Roles
The government should cover the cost of checks for people working in education, healthcare, aged care, disability, and social services. These are essential jobs—treat them that way.

2. National Portability

A single, portable clearance recognised across states would simplify the process, reduce duplication, and prevent unnecessary repeat costs for both workers and employers.

3. Industry Grants for Workforce Entry

Support businesses with hiring grants that include compliance costs, especially those in regional areas or hard-to-staff sectors.

We’re Ready to Hire. Help Us Do It.

Employers are doing the work. We’re actively recruiting. We’re training and mentoring. We’re creating inclusive workplaces.

But we need help lowering the drawbridge.

If the government is serious about rebuilding the essential workforce—one that supports children, the elderly, and vulnerable Australians—it needs to start at the foundation. That foundation is access.

Let’s break the barrier, not the workforce.

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