Check an enrolment against the vaccination record rule
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- From the enrolment form and the immunisation papers on the file, list the child's age, whether the service is a child care centre or a primary or secondary school, and which of an immunisation history statement, a catch-up form or a medical exemption form is on the file. Where the file says the child is in out-of-home care, under a guardianship order, cared for by an adult who is not a parent because of exceptional circumstances, evacuated after a state of emergency, or an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child, list the enrolment date and the date 12 weeks later. Note an overseas vaccination record that has not been replaced by an immunisation history statement. Do not decide whether the child may be enrolled.
- What the lawyer must review
- The lawyer decides whether the enrolment can proceed and what the service must keep. The NSW Health questions and answers page, current as at 27 October 2025, states that since 2018 a child care centre is prevented under the Public Health Act 2010 from enrolling a child unless the file has an Australian Immunisation Register history statement showing the child is fully immunised for their age, an immunisation medical exemption form, or an immunisation history form certifying a recognised catch-up schedule. The catch-up form is described as temporary for 6 months. The page says no other document is acceptable, including an overseas record or the Blue Book, and that an overseas record must be assessed by an Australian immunisation provider before a history statement is requested. The centre stores the documents for 3 years unless the child transfers to another centre. The page states an offence, with a penalty of 50 penalty units, for a principal who fails to comply, and the same penalty for forging or falsifying a certificate. The enforcement answer on the same page states fines of up to $5,500. Conscientious objection is not a ground for child care enrolment on this page. Children in formal schooling who use before and after school care, and services that are primarily ad hoc, temporary or casual, are permanently exempt. Children under a guardianship order under section 79A of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998, children in out-of-home care, children cared for by a non-parent because of exceptional circumstances, children evacuated after a state of emergency, and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children may be enrolled while the director makes reasonable efforts to obtain the forms within 12 weeks. Meningococcal B and influenza are not part of the child care enrolment test on this page. A child care centre does not have to send the papers to a primary school. For a primary or secondary school the same page states that the principal must request an immunisation certificate and a parent is required to provide one, but a child may still be enrolled without a certificate and may be asked to stay home during an outbreak. The lawyer does not treat the child care rule and the school rule as the same.
- Written for / version
- US
Open a jurisdiction version of this task to see which instruments apply: US
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | From the enrolment form and the immunisation papers on the file, list the child's age, whether the service is a child care centre or a primary or secondary school, and which of an immunisation history statement, a catch-up form or a medical exemption form is on the file. Where the file says the child is in out-of-home care, under a guardianship order, cared for by an adult who is not a parent because of exceptional circumstances, evacuated after a state of emergency, or an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child, list the enrolment date and the date 12 weeks later. Note an overseas vaccination record that has not been replaced by an immunisation history statement. Do not decide whether the child may be enrolled. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Identify whether the service is a child care centre or a school, and do not apply the child care bar to a school enrolment.
- Match the papers to an immunisation history statement, a catch-up form or a medical exemption form, and flag an overseas record standing alone.
- Where the page allows 12 weeks, count that period from enrolment, and confirm the enrolment decision is the lawyer's.
Sources
- NSW Health, questions and answers on vaccination requirements for child care and schools · 2026-10-22
These are suggested working checks. Confirm the required checking with the responsible lawyer before work starts; the checking approach does not establish permission to use AI.
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