News and resources from the Office of the Children's Guardian Out-of-home care Directorate - December 2025
Out-of-home care Directorate update
The full suite of resources for the Code of Practice is now available. We will continue updating and adding to the resources to ensure they remain current and relevant. We are grateful to the agencies that have provided feedback through consultations and look forward to hearing your views on how we can continue to build and improve our regulatory approach and resources.
We would like to remind Principal Officers that they are required to remain subscribed to our newsletters to ensure they receive important updates. Our newsletters will occur quarterly next year from March 2026.
Have your say on the Working with Children Check
The Office of the Children’s Guardian is reviewing the laws behind the Working with Children Check (WWCC). This is your opportunity to have a say on how the system works to protect children and young people in NSW. A discussion paper and resources are available on the NSW Have Your Say website, with consultation open until February 2026.
Easy-read formats are available. We encourage all stakeholders to read the paper and share your feedback via the survey or a submission.
Code of Practice
The Code of Practice Implementation Handbook supports agencies to understand the new accreditation criteria which commenced on 1 October 2025.
The handbook outlines:
- the 8 practice requirements against which agencies will be assessed
- how we assess compliance and evidence we may seek
- the accreditation process and pathways
Resources to support implementation of the Code of Practice
The full suite of our resources for the Code of Practice is now available. Updates and new resources will be added in 2026.
Christmas and new year shut down period
The Office of the Children's Guardian will be closed during the NSW Government shutdown period.
We will close 4pm Wednesday 24 December 2025 and reopen 9am Monday 12 January 2026.
If you think a child or young person is at risk of harm from abuse or neglect, contact the Child Protection Helpline on 132 111 (TTY 1800 212 936), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If you have any questions please contact us:
Phone: (02) 8219 3796
Email: accreditation@ocg.nsw.gov.au
Web: www.ocg.nsw.gov.au
