Contents
What is PlaySafe?
PlaySafe is PlayHQ's automated child safeguarding solution developed in partnership with Oho. It provides real-time Working with Children Check (WWCC) verification and ongoing monitoring for coaches, team managers, and other volunteers in positions of trust, significantly enhancing child safety across all sports whilst reducing manual compliance administration.
Partnership with Oho
Oho is a specialist compliance provider that integrates with all Australian state and territory WWCC regulators. They validate WWCC credentials in real-time against government databases and provide professional monitoring services. Oho handles all sensitive compliance data, ensuring PlayHQ maintains privacy whilst delivering comprehensive child safeguarding.
How PlaySafe Works
When coaches, team managers, or others in positions of trust register through PlayHQ, they're prompted to provide their WWCC details (number, expiry date, issuing state). This information is instantly validated against state government databases through Oho's secure integration with regulators. PlaySafe then conducts weekly re-checks (where legally supported by state regulations) to monitor for WWCC revocations, suspensions, expiring credentials, and status changes across jurisdictions.
Important Note: PlaySafe is a compliance checking tool that automates WWCC verification and monitoring. It's designed to support your existing child safeguarding policies and procedures, not replace them. Governing bodies and clubs remain responsible for comprehensive child protection practices.
Benefits
For Governing Bodies
- Enhanced child protection without increasing administrative burden
- Professional compliance monitoring and alert system
- Comprehensive reporting and audit trail capabilities
- Reduced liability through systematic compliance management
For Associations & Clubs
- Minimal process changes – only need to action exemptions
- No manual WWCC checking – system validates automatically
- Clear compliance visibility through accessible reports and participant profiles
- Reduced administrative workload for volunteer administrators
- Enhanced child safety credibility for your organisation
For Coaches, Team Managers, Officials & Volunteers
- Simple WWCC entry during registration process
- Ability to update credentials anytime through PlayHQ profile
- Clear visibility of their compliance status
- Professional validation process provides confidence
- Streamlined experience across multiple clubs or seasons
For Participants & Families
- Enhanced child safety through systematic compliance monitoring
- Professional-grade safeguarding without impact on registration experience
- Confidence that all coaches and team managers are properly vetted
- Transparent compliance processes
Phased Rollout Approach
PlaySafe will be introduced in two phases to ensure a smooth transition whilst maximising child safety protection with minimal disruption to your current registration processes.
Phase 1 – PlaySafe WWCC Data Collection and Validation
Winter 2026
What Happens
- PlaySafe verification system activates automatically during registration
- Coaches, team managers, and other position of trust roles are prompted to provide Working with Children Check details
- Registration can be completed regardless of whether WWCC details are provided
- Oho begins real-time validation and ongoing monitoring for all WWCC details entered
- Automated weekly compliance reports become available in the Child Safety Dashboard
Administrator Experience via the Admin Portal
- Access the new Child Safety Dashboard to view real-time compliance status across your organisation
- Automated status updates (VALID, PENDING, EXPIRED, NO STATUS) visible for all volunteers
- Download participant lists to support your own communication workflows
- Zero changes to team allocation processes during this phase
Why This Approach?
- Provides transition period for everyone to familiarise themselves with the new WWCC collection and checking process standards
- Allows coaches, team managers, and other position of trust roles to update their details without registration barriers
- Builds comprehensive compliance data before enforcement begins
- Dashboard reports enable targeted communication to volunteers requiring action
Phase 2 – PlaySafe + Eligibility (Automated Compliance Enforcement)
Spring/ Summer 2026/2027
What Happens
- Automatic eligibility controls activate within PlayHQ
- Coaches, team managers, and other position of trust without valid Child Safety status cannot be allocated to teams
- PlayHQ automatically blocks team allocation for non-compliant volunteers
- Registration continues as normal, but eligibility is enforced at team allocation stage
- Real-time status updates drive automatic eligibility changes
Administrator Experience
- System automatically prevents allocation of non-compliant Volunteers to teams
- Dashboard provides instant visibility of which volunteers are blocked from allocation and why (Expired, Pending, etc.)
- Real-time status updates show when volunteers become eligible after updating their WWCC
- Governing body retains override capabilities for legitimate exemptions
Why This Approach?
- After initial data collection and updates to appropriate processes, enforcement can commence
- Ensures only verified individuals work with children in game day settings
- Removes manual compliance checking burden from volunteer administrators
- Automated enforcement maintains consistent standards across all clubs and associations
- Reduces organisational liability through systematic compliance management
FAQs
About PlaySafe
Q: When will PlaySafe be available?
A: PlaySafe Data Collection goes live via Registration for Netball Australia from February 2, 2026. Data Collection validation will be available from March 2, 2026. Phase 2 will be available from Spring 2026 onwards.
Anyone that has registered as any of the 4 roles from 1st December will be batch checked when validation is turned on.
Q: Who needs a Working with Children's Check?
A: Anyone registering as a "position of trust" (coaches and team managers) who is 18 years or older needs a valid WWCC check. Volunteers under 18 are automatically marked as exempt.
Q: Which roles require WWCC details to be entered?
A: Your national governing body configures which roles require WWCC verification. Typically this includes coaches, team managers, assistant coaches, and volunteers (organisation-dependent). Players and spectators are generally excluded.
State-Specific Rules and Exemptions
Q: How does PlaySafe handle different state exemptions?
A: We are currently working with PlayHQ to configure all required exemptions for our state. Once this process is complete, we'll provide you with clear information about what these exemptions mean for your volunteers and how they'll be applied during the registration process.
Registration Process
Q: Does registration get blocked if volunteers enter invalid or expired WWCC details?
A: In Phase 1A, no one will be stopped at point of input. In Part 1B there will be a Soft Stop – Registration completes but status remains "Pending". In Phase 1B participant cannot be allocated to teams until resolved (only once Eligibility is enabled). We use the soft stop approach to avoid blocking legitimate registrations whilst maintaining compliance controls.
Q: How long does WWCC validation take?
A: Most checks are relatively immediate (~1 min) but may take longer depending on the state (ACT only has batch checks). However, if there are discrepancies in your data, it may take longer to resolve.
Q: I skipped entering my WWCC details during registration. Can I add them later?
A: Yes, you can add your WWCC details in your PlayHQ profile after registration. The system will then validate them through Oho and update your status accordingly.
Q: Can volunteers check their WWCC details are correct before submitting registration?
A: Yes. During registration after March 2nd, volunteers can use the "Check" functionality to validate the format and expiry date of their WWCC before final submission.
Q: How does PlaySafe handle name discrepancies (married names, middle names, etc.)?
A: During registration, there's a field for volunteers to enter name variations if their WWCC is under a different name than their PlayHQ profile. Common scenarios include maiden name on WWCC, middle name included/excluded, hyphenated surnames, or preferred name vs legal name.
Status and Participation
Q: My registration shows "Pending" – can I still coach/manage teams?
A: Yes, for Phase 1 volunteers with "Pending" registration status can be allocated to teams or participate in official competitions.
Q: What is the difference between Child Safety status and Registration status?
A: Child Safety status refers specifically to your Working with Children's Check validation, whilst Registration status is your overall eligibility to participate. Your registration status can be "Pending" if your WWCC check hasn't been validated yet.
Q: My WWCC is expiring soon – what should I do?
A: The system will mark your status as "EXPIRING-SOON" when your WWCC expires within 6 weeks. You should renew your WWCC before it expires to maintain eligibility.
Administrative Control (will be available in Phase 1B)
Q: Can club administrators manually override WWCC status?
A: Depending on the governing body controls, administrators can only override certain WWCC statuses like parent exemptions. This is intentional for safeguarding purposes – centralising override authority ensures consistent application of child safety policies and maintains audit trail integrity.
Q: What information can club administrators see vs governing body administrators?
A: Club administrators can:
- View Child Safety status for their volunteers (VALID, PENDING, EXPIRED, etc.)
- Access the Child Safety dashboard filtered to their organisation
- See eligibility indicators on participant profiles
- Generate compliance reports for their clubs/associations
Club administrators cannot:
- Override WWCC status unless for certain exemptions
- View detailed Oho validation data
- Modify Child Safety configuration
- Access compliance data outside their organisation
Q: How can I see which volunteers need WWCC validation for eligibility?
A: There is an eligibility section against the registration tile of the participant. Alternatively, admins can use the Child Safety dashboard or eligibility report to see the registration status of all Volunteers
Technical and System
Q: What happens during the WWCC validation process?
A:
- Participant enters WWCC number, expiry date, and issuing state during registration
- PlayHQ validates formatting and expiry dates match required inputs
- Oho checks against relevant state government database
- Validation result returned (usually within minutes, but can take longer for ACT/NSW batch/queued checks)
- Child Safety status updated in PlayHQ (VALID, PENDING, EXPIRED, etc.)
- Registration status updated based on Child Safety status and eligibility configuration
- Participant included in ongoing weekly monitoring
Q: What happens if someone registers in multiple roles across different clubs?
A: PlayHQ's unified user profile means one WWCC record follows the participant across all registrations. They only need to enter their WWCC details once – subsequent registrations in other clubs/competitions automatically reference the validated check.
Q: Will this work across all Australian states?
A: Yes. PlaySafe supports WWCC validation in all states and territories, including handling jurisdiction-specific processes (e.g., batch checking in ACT). Oho's integration ensures consistent coverage nationwide.
Privacy and Data
Q: How is sensitive WWCC data protected?
A: All sensitive WWCC data is processed and stored securely within Oho's systems, not by PlayHQ. PlayHQ only retains compliance status outcomes (e.g., "valid", "expired"). Oho is fully compliant with privacy legislation and data protection requirements.
Q: Who has access to WWCC information?
A: Access is strictly controlled:
- Oho: Handles all sensitive WWCC data and validation
- PlayHQ: Receives compliance status only
- Governing Body Integrity Teams: Receive alerts and compliance summaries
- Club Administrators: Can view compliance status reports for their Volunteers
- Volunteers: Can view and update their own WWCC details