Quick Start
This page takes an administrator from a fresh install to a working staff portal in about 30 minutes. Every step uses the plugin’s real screens and button labels. If you haven’t installed the plugin yet, start with Requirements & Installation.
Step 1 — Complete the setup wizard
The setup wizard opens automatically the first time the plugin is activated. If it didn’t, or you closed it, open it from the Get started link on the Plugins screen. You can also click Continue setup → on the Attestation Core Dashboard, or use Settings → General → Re-run the setup wizard.
The standard wizard has four steps. Every step can be skipped and revisited later.
- Organisation Details. Enter your Organisation name, which is used in email subjects, exported reports and the “From” name on notifications. You can also enter an optional Organisation code (for example your ABN or a licence number), and an Admin contact email, which receives admin alerts such as new evidence submissions. If you leave that blank, the WordPress site admin email is used. Finally, set the Annual plan due date, which defaults to 28 February. Click Save and continue →.
- Document Types. The seven pre-loaded document types are listed. Tick Remove next to any you don’t need (Undo puts it back), and use + Add document type to add your own. For each new type, set what it Applies to (All staff, Primary role only, or Secondary role only) and its Expiry (No expiry, Fixed expiry date, or Annual review). Click Continue →.
- First Profile. Enter the first staff member’s First name, Last name, Email address and Workforce type. You can choose Link to WordPress user now, and the linked person gets portal access straight away. The profile is only created if you enter a first or last name. Click Save and continue →, or Skip — I’ll add profiles later.
- Portal Pages. Click Create pages and finish →. The wizard publishes a Compliance Portal page with four child pages beneath it: My Profile, My Documents, Submit Evidence and Evidence History. Each one holds its shortcode. If you’ve already built your own pages, use Or assign existing pages manually and click Save and finish → instead.
When you finish, you land on the Dashboard with the message “Setup complete. Attestation Core is ready to use.”
🔒 Pro feature — requires the Pro plugin.
RTO module: if Pro is active and Settings → General → Industry is set to the RTO option, the wizard gains a Units of Competency step after Organisation Details, making five steps. The wording also changes, for example “RTO name” and “RTO code”, and the first-profile step adds a Credential category. With an active licence, the portal-pages step also creates the four Pro portal pages: Annual Plan, My Compliance Record, My Compliance Calendar and Upskilling Plan. A fresh install starts on the Generic industry, so choose RTO and then re-run the wizard.
Step 2 — Add your staff
Go to Attestation Core → Compliance Profiles and click Add profile. Fill in First name, Last name, Email and Phone. Then tick each Workforce category that applies, mark one as Primary, and click Create Profile. The built-in workforce types are Employee (full-time / part-time), Contractor, Casual employee, Volunteer, Support staff, Administrative staff, Compliance staff, and Leadership / manager. You can rename or hide them under Settings → Library → Workforce types.
To add many people at once, click Import profiles, download the CSV template, fill in one staff member per row, and click Upload and import. Rows whose email matches an existing profile update that profile, and new emails create new profiles. See Staff profiles.
Step 3 — Give staff portal access
A staff member can use the portal once their compliance profile is linked to a WordPress user account. There are two ways to link them:
- Create the WordPress account with the same email address (Users → Add New User). The plugin finds the unlinked profile with that email and links it automatically, whatever role you give the user. WordPress sends its usual new-account email so they can set a password.
- Link an existing account by choosing it in Linked WordPress user on the profile’s edit screen.
Linked staff keep their existing WordPress role. Portal permissions are granted automatically while their profile is active.
Step 4 — Test the staff portal
- Open a private/incognito browser window and log in as a linked staff member.
- They should be taken straight to the Compliance Portal page, without the WordPress toolbar.
- Check that their name appears and that My Documents lists the document types that apply to them.
If the page says Sign in required, the visitor isn’t logged in. If it says No compliance profile on file, the account isn’t linked to an active profile, so link it as in Step 3. If the portal’s navigation links don’t work, open Settings → Portal pages and make sure each shortcode has a page assigned.
Step 5 — Check notifications
Go to Attestation Core → Settings → Notifications.
- Send notification emails (the master switch) is on by default. Turning it off stops every notification.
- The free plugin has six notification types, all enabled by default: Document expiring in 30 days, Document expired, Annual review document due, Evidence submitted (admin alert), Evidence validated, and Evidence returned for revision.
- Each subject and body can be edited. Templates use double-brace tokens such as
{{trainer_name}},{{document_type}}and{{expiry_date}}. Leave a field blank to use the shipped default. - Click Send test email to send a message to your admin contact email.
🔒 Pro feature — requires the Pro plugin.
Pro adds 90, 60 and 7-day expiry warnings, annual-plan reminders and status emails, plus the Escalations (Pro) and SMS (Pro) tabs. See Automated Email Notifications.
Step 6 — Verify everything is working
- [ ] Settings → General → System status shows “Scheduled. Next run: …” for the daily background task
- [ ] Send test email reports “Test email sent to …” and the email arrives
- [ ] At least one profile exists and is linked to a WordPress user
- [ ] That user lands on the Compliance Portal after logging in
- [ ] The Dashboard no longer shows the “Finish setting up Attestation Core” card. That card stays until an organisation name is saved and at least one active profile exists
Worked example
A long day care centre with 18 educators. The director runs the wizard. She enters the centre’s name and approved-provider number as the organisation code, keeps First Aid certificate, Working With Children Check and National Police Check, and removes Industry qualification. She adds “Anaphylaxis training” with a fixed expiry date and lets the wizard create the portal pages. She imports her 18 educators from the CSV template, creates WordPress accounts for them with the same emails, and sends a test email. The next day, the daily task emails two educators whose First Aid certificates expire within 30 days.
Troubleshooting
- “WordPress could not send the test email.” Your site can’t send mail. Install and configure an SMTP plugin, then try again.
- “No admin contact email is configured.” Enter one under Settings → General.
- A new user didn’t link to their profile. Automatic linking only happens when the user is created and an unlinked profile with exactly the same email exists. Link them manually on the profile’s edit screen.
Next: Plugin Settings & Onboarding Wizard · Settings Reference · Staff Profile & Credential Management