Eligibility Requirements

A member of the Western Australian Association of Youth Workers can be a ‘Full Member’, an ‘Associate Member’ or a ‘Friend of the Association’.

Full Membership
There are three basic requirements for full membership of the Western Australian Association of Youth Workers:

• The practitioner has completed a relevant qualification and has sufficient years practical experience.
  The qualification requirements of the WAAYW are set out in the ‘Membership Categories’ section of this website. There are a number of membership categories that a practitioner can apply for. The one for which you will be eligible will be decided according to a combination of your level of qualification and your years of experience in the sector. Generally, a Cert IV in Youth Work is the minimum qualification requirement although there is a ‘Sunset Clause’ exception for those practitioners who have served more than 15 years in the sector. See Membership Categories for more information.
  
  To see the rationale for choosing these particular categories, go to the Membership FAQ section.



• The practitioner is willing to commit to practice according the Western Australian Youth Work Code of Ethics.
  Signing to the following commitment statement is a requirement of membership:
  
  “As a member of the Western Australian Association of Youth Workers, I agree to adopt the Western Australian Youth Work Code of Ethics in its entirety as the standard in my work with young people. In roles where I am unable to fulfil the obligations of the Youth Work Code of Ethics, I will not refer to my role as ‘Youth Work’ but I will continue to aspire to practice according to the standards set by the code.”
  
  It is important that practitioners read the commitment statement and the Code of Ethics and assess if committing to these principles is a realistic vision. Copies of the Code are available at the Youth Work Ethics section of this site.



• The practitioner holds a Working with Children Check (WWCC) or in some circumstances a Federal Police Clearance
  A ’Working with Children Check’ is now a legal requirement for work with young people. It is only available to those workers who have direct face to face contact with young people. Some people in the profession, such as those in policy or management, no longer have contact with young people and are therefore ineligible for a WWCC. In these situations a Federal Police Clearance that is less than 2 years old will be accepted. If you do have face to face contact in your role, but have not yet applied for a WWCC, a Federal Police Clearance will not be accepted as a substitute.
  
  Go to http://www.checkwwc.wa.gov.au/checkwwc for more information on applying for a WWCC.