Credentials
A credential is something a worker holds that shows they're cleared or qualified to do their job — a Working With Children Check, a teacher registration, an AHPRA registration, an NDIS Worker Screening Check, a police check, or proof of the right to work in Australia.
If a worker is a person, their credentials are the things that person carries.
Verifiable credentials
Most credentials in Oho are verifiable — Oho can confirm them against the official register or issuing body, rather than just taking the worker's word for it. When a credential is verifiable, Oho:
- checks it against the source the moment it's added,
- gives it a clear outcome, shown with a colour so it's easy to scan,
- re-checks it on the schedule you set up in the Verification Sources tab and updates the outcome automatically if anything changes, and
- keeps a history of every check on the worker's profile.
What you'll see
Whatever the credential, the result is shown the same way — one of a few outcomes, with a colour so it's easy to scan:
| Status (as shown in the app) | Colour | What it means | API value |
|---|---|---|---|
| May engage | Green | Valid and current — the person is cleared for the work. | MAY_ENGAGE |
| May not engage | Red | Not valid — expired, suspended, not found, or a match on a ban register. | MAY_NOT_ENGAGE |
| Under review | Yellow | Cleared, but worth a closer look — for example a condition on the clearance, a possible match, or an expiry coming up. | REVIEW_REQUIRED |
| In progress | Grey | Still being checked. | IN_PROGRESS |
| Error | Grey | The source couldn't be reached; Oho will try again. | ERROR |
How quickly a result comes back depends on the credential and the register behind it; how often Oho re-checks it is up to the schedule you set in Verification Sources. Each credential's page explains what to expect.
Credentials Oho can verify
Working With Children
Every state and territory runs its own scheme, and the differences are big enough to matter when you're onboarding a workforce. Two territories don't even call it a Working With Children Check — Tasmania issues a Working with Vulnerable People registration and the Northern Territory an Ochre Card, and both do the same job.
| Where | What it's called | Needs a date of birth | Needs a login of yours | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIC | Working With Children Check | No | No | Seconds |
| NSW | Working With Children Check | Yes | Yes — OCG portal | Hours |
| QLD | Blue Card | No | No | Seconds |
| SA | Working With Children Check | Yes | Yes — DHS portal | Under a minute |
| WA | Working With Children Check | No | No | Seconds |
| TAS | Working with Vulnerable People | No | No | A minute or two |
| NT | Ochre Card | No | No | A minute or two |
| ACT | Working With Vulnerable People | No | Set up by support | Reviewed by a person |
Three of those rows are worth reading before you start:
- NSW and SA need a portal login of your own, because neither state publishes a check you can run anonymously. Until that's configured, those checks won't return a result.
- NSW and SA also need each worker's date of birth. Without one, the worker can't be matched at all.
- The ACT has no register Oho can query. Cards are captured and reviewed by a person, so your review cadence is your coverage.
And one behaviour that isn't in the table: Queensland renewals don't flow through on their own, because a renewed Blue Card gets a new issue number. See the Blue Card page.
Teacher Registration
One page per state authority: NSW (NESA), VIC (VIT), QLD (QCT), SA (SATRB), WA (WATRB), TAS (TASTRB), and NT (NTTRB).
National credentials
- AHPRA Registration — health practitioners
- NDIS Worker Screening Check — disability sector
- Police Check — national and international
- Right to Work (Visa / VEVO) — entitlement to work in Australia
Credentials you define yourself
For anything the catalogue above doesn't cover — an internal course, a company induction, a certificate with no register behind it — an Admin can define a custom credential type. Oho tracks these for expiry alongside verifiable credentials, but can't confirm them against a register, so they're marked Not verified.
Related
- Linking & ownership — who a credential belongs to, and how it carries across on hire
- Custom credentials — organisation-specific credential types you define
- Exemptions — when a worker is formally excused from a requirement
- Ban Checks — matching a worker against disqualification registers