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Sponsors are key to the success of the WDP Scheme, supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged people to address their unpaid court fines.

By engaging in approved activities, your clients can address their outstanding fine debt and also address their underlying issues.

WDP sponsors can be an individual or organisation, including government agencies, health practitioners, sole-traders and not-for-profit agencies.

Sponsors need to meet certain criteria. Refer to the Sponsor Application Fact Sheet for information and the documentation you require to complete an application.

Role of a sponsor

By becoming a sponsor you can provide additional support to your existing clients, as well as helping new clients.

Working with your client, you will:

• assess their suitability
• identify appropriate activities to complete
• submit the application on their behalf
• supervise and report as they complete approved activities.

For example, a health practitioner providing drug and alcohol treatment would apply for a WDP. Once approved the practitioner would record the client’s attendance on the user friendly eCourts portal.

For further information about the WDP Scheme, becoming a sponsor or for assistance, contact:

• Legal Aid WA
  • Telephone: +61 8 9261 6353
  • Email:  wdpservice@legalaid.wa.gov.au
• Aboriginal Legal Service
  • Telephone: + 61 8 6371 4600
  • Email: wdpservice@als.org.au
• Fines Enforcement Registry
  • Telephone: 1300 650 235 (from landlines) or +61 8 9235 0235 (from mobile phones or international)
  • Email:  ferwdp@justice.wa.gov.au

Activity types, qualifications and experience

This information outlines the different activity types and the relevant qualifications and/or experience needed in order for an approved sponsor to support a particular activity type.

Publication

Some documents are required to be uploaded as part of your application. Refer to the Sponsor Application Fact Sheet.

Visit and register for a new account at the Log in section (top right of the page).

Once registered you will receive a confirmation email that your account has been created. You can then Log in (using your username and password) via the eCourtsPortal to apply to become an approved sponsor.

If you require assistance with your application to be a sponsor, contact the Work and Development Team at the Fines Enforcement Registry on 61 8 9235 0235.

Once your application has been received and reviewed, you will receive an email confirmation.

Resources

Sponsor Guide (PDF, 3.3MB)

Sponsor Application Fact Sheet (PDF, 115KB)

Sponsor Pre-agreement form (PDF, 1.1MB)
(Download form and open in Adobe Reader to complete and digitally sign)

Poster for Sponsors (PDF, 1.8MB)

Are all fines/infringements eligible?

Only court fines are eligible for the scheme. A client may have other outstanding unpaid fines or infringements which are not eligible to be included in a WDP application. Only eligible court fines are shown on the eCourts portal when applying for a WDP on behalf of a client. They are encouraged to contact FER to make suitable arrangements for all other outstanding matters.

Can I amend and update my details?

Yes. You can request to amend any details of your sponsorship including updating your insurance details by email to ferwdp@justice.wa.gov.au.

Can I stop being a sponsor?

Yes. If you are unable or no longer wish to supervise WDPs, you can notify the Fines Enforcement Registry by email to ferwdp@justice.wa.gov.au. Any WDPs that you currently supervise will be cancelled and your clients will be notified. Any hours worked off by a client prior to the WDP being cancelled will still be counted.

Can a WDP be approved retrospectively?

No. A WDP only comes into force once it is approved and only hours completed after this approval are eligible to count towards the WDP. Any hours completed prior to the approval are not to be credited by the sponsor, for example initial meetings.

What if my client fails to complete activities?

You are only required to report when your client completes activities.

If the Fines Enforcement Registry does not receive any expected reported activity they may contact you to discuss the circumstances of that permit. You may also cancel a WDP if your client repeatedly fails to attend. This can be done through the eCourts portal or by emailing ferwdp@justice.wa.gov.au.

What if I identify a conflict of interest?

Any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest need to be reported through to the Fines Enforcement Registry by emailing ferwdp@justice.wa.gov.au.

For further information, refer to the Conflict of Interest – Declaration and Management for Work and Development Permit Scheme Sponsors.

How do I know what fines a client has that are eligible for a Work and Development Permit?

All eligible fines will be shown in the eCourts portal when you search a client while applying for a WDP on their behalf.

Is there much paperwork or administration involved in being a WDP sponsor?

All administration of WDP is done through the eCourts portal. The process has been designed to be as simple and intuitive as possible. While there is some administration required, it is not onerous and sponsors report that managing a WDP through the eCourts portal is simple.

A Work and Development Permit (WDP) allows eligible clients to reduce or even clear their outstanding court fine(s) by completing approved activities in place of paying. A WDP may be issued by the Fines Enforcement Registry (FER) once a Notice of Intention to Enforce (Court Fine) has been issued.

Eligibility

You may be eligible for a WDP if you:

• are experiencing financial hardship
• have been or might be subjected or exposed to family violence
• have a mental illness
• have a disability
• are homeless
• are experiencing alcohol or drug use problems
• are experiencing another type of hardship.

If you believe you are eligible, contact a sponsor from the register of approved sponsors on this page who can assess your eligibility. The sponsor may then be able to apply to FER to issue a WDP for you in place of you having to pay the amount owed on a court fine(s).

Approved sponsor’s can include charities, Community Resource Centres, Aboriginal corporations, educational institutions and registered training organisations. Applications for a WDP must be supported and submitted by an approved sponsor on your behalf.

Client Brochure (PDF, 854KB)

Approved activities and fine conversion rates

Different activities have different fine conversion rates. The activities that you can complete under a WDP include:

* Note that breaks are not to be included in the completed hours.
** Applicable activities and rates are detailed in the Fines, Penalties and Infringement Notices Enforcement Regulations 1994.

To apply

Applications for WDP’s must be supported and submitted by a sponsor on your behalf. To find a sponsor see the register of approved sponsors on this page.

For further information about the WDP scheme or for assistance, contact:

• Fines Enforcement Registry
  • Telephone: 1300 650 235 (from landlines) or +61 8 9235 0235 (from mobile phones or international)
  • Email:  ferwdp@justice.wa.gov.au
• Legal Aid WA
  • Telephone: +61 8 9261 6353
  • Email:  wdpservice@legalaid.wa.gov.au
• Aboriginal Legal Service
  • Telephone: + 61 8 6371 4600
  • Email: wdpservice@als.org.au

Refer to the Register of approved sponsors and an interactive locations map for more information.

Application Forms

Downloading and submitting application forms

If you do not have the required software to view the documents available on this site, download for free to view the documents:

For Apple Mac users, after completing a PDF form in Preview, choose Print from the File menu and then use the dialog box’s PDF option to save it to a PDF. Send this PDF version to Fines Enforcement Registry at ferttp@justice.wa.gov.au

Factsheets

Resources for Sponsors

Sponsor Guide (PDF, 3.3MB)
Sponsor Application Fact Sheet (PDF, 115KB)
Sponsor Pre-agreement form (PDF, 1.1MB)
(Download form and open in Adobe Reader to complete and digitally sign)
Poster for Sponsors (PDF, 1.8MB)

Publications