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| Individual Support for the Aged and The Disabled |
Australian
Bureau of Statistics forecasts predict that within just a few decades, at least
1 in every 5 people in the country will be aged 65 or older. This is putting
massive pressure on the aged and community care industry to supply the country
with enough qualified health care workers to provide the kind of support and
quality of life we expect for elderly Australians.
To prepare the
Australian aged care workforce to meet this massive demand, the Community
Services & Health Industry Skills Council (CSHISC) recently announced an
updated training package to give personal care and support workers more
flexibility to meet the needs of this industry.
The brand new
Certificate III in Individual Support (CHC33015) is included in this package.
It supersedes the current Certificate III level courses in aged, disability and
home and community care and is now the standard qualification for the industry.
So how is the
Certificate III in Individual Support different and will these affect you?
Here’s what you
need to know:
- What will
happen to the Aged, Community and Disability Care courses?
- What are the
CHC33015 core and elective course units?
- How can you
specialise in Aged, Disability or Home and Community Care?
- How much
Vocational Placement do you now need?
- When was the Certificate
III in Individual Support released?
- Will current
aged and community workers have to upgrade their qualification?
- Should new aged
and community care workers wait for the new qualification?
- Are you
required to have a specialisation?
- How do I enrol
in the new Certificate III in Individual Support?
2. What Will Happen To The Aged, Community
And Disability Care Courses?
The new
qualification will still allow you to specialize in one of these three areas of
personal care – disability, aged care, and home and community care – but this
will be achieved by you completing a specific set of units as part of you
Individual Support course, rather than enrolling in a particular qualification.
The 3
superseded courses have 14 total units each. The new Certificate III in
Individual Support has just 13 total course units, including:
- 7 core units
and
- 6 elective
units
- At least 4
units must be from the list of electives provided by the CSHISC and at least 2
of these must be from elective Group A, B or C below
- Up to 2 units
may be from any endorsed Training Package or accredited course that is related
to your work outcome
3. What Are The CHC33015 Core And Elective
Course Units?
The Cert III in
Individual Support allows you to specialise in 3 different areasWhen you enrol
in this course, there are 7 core units you must complete no matter which
specialisation you wish to complete:
- CHCCCS015
Provide individualised support
- CHCCCS023
Support independence and well being
- CHCCOM005
Communicate and work in health or community services
- CHCDIV001 Work
with diverse people
- CHCLEG001 Work
legally and ethically
- HLTAAP001
Recognise healthy body systems
- HLTWHS002
Follow safe work practices for direct client care
The 6 elective
units are split into 3 main groups. You are free to choose a set of electives,
and your chosen units will determine which specialisation you will gain:
Group A – AGEING specialisation (3 units)
- CHCAGE001
Facilitate the empowerment of older people
- CHCAGE005
Provide support to people living with dementia
- CHCCCS011 Meet
personal support needs
Group B –
DISABILITY specialisation (4 units)
- CHCDIS001
Contribute to ongoing skills development using a strengths-based approach
- CHCDIS002
Follow established person-centred behaviour supports
- CHCDIS003
Support community participation and social inclusion
- CHCDIS007
Facilitate the empowerment of people with disability
Group C – HOME
AND COMMUNITY specialisation (5 units)
- CHCAGE001
Facilitate the empowerment of older people
or
- CHCDIS007
Facilitate the empowerment of people with disability
- CHCCCS011 Meet
personal support needs
- CHCCCS025
Support relationships with carers and families
- CHCHCS001
Provide home and community support services
You can also
potentially choose from 54 Other Electives named by the CSHISC that are related
to Health and Community Care, Business, Hospitality and Transport and
Logistics. In many cases, your training provider will have already picked
electives and designed a course that will ensure you get great career outcomes
from your new qualification.
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| Individual Support |
4. How Can You Specialise In Aged,
Disability Or Home And Community Care?
The Certificate
III in Individual Support will allow you to specialise in 3 care settings. You
can specialise in just a single area or choose any combination including
gaining specialisations for all 3.
A. If you want to
be a specialist in an aged care setting and gain the Certificate III in
Individual Support (Ageing), you need to complete 13 units:
- 7 core units
- 3 electives
from Group A
- At least 1
elective from Group B, Group C or Other Electives listed by the CSHISC
- Up to 2
electives related to your work outcome from any endorsed training package
B. If you want
to be a specialist in a community care setting and gain the Certificate III in
Individual Support (Home and Community), you need to complete 13 units:
- 7 core units
- At least 4
electives from Group B
- 2 additional
electives from Group A, Group C, or Other Electives listed by the CSHISC or any
elective related to your work outcome from any endorsed training package
C. If you want
to be a specialist in a disability setting and gain the Certificate III in
Individual Support (Disability), you need to complete 13 units:
- 7 core units
- 4 electives
from Group C
- 2 additional
electives from Group A, Group B, or Other Electives listed by the CSHISC or any
elective related to your work outcome from any endorsed training package
5. How Much Vocational Placement Do You Now
Need?
Aged and
Disabled carers Hands on experience is extremely important in the health and
community care industry.
Current
certificate III courses in aged care, disability and home and community care
require at least 80 hours of vocational placement in a registered care
facility.
The new
Certificate III in Individual Support increases the minimum amount of
vocational placement to 120 hours.
This change
gives new personal care workers more time to practice the lessons from their
course units and to learn from current care professionals. Familiarity with how
the industry works and experience in handling real life situations can also
increase your employability when your start applying for jobs after graduating.
Registered care
providers also benefit from this by having fully qualified carers ready to fill
in the vacancies created by the huge demand in Australia. A skilled workforce
helps aged care facilities and community care centers comply with industry
quality standards.
6. When Was The Certificate III In
Individual Support Released?
The CSHISC, the
industry skills body for health and community services, submitted the proposed
training package last May 2015.
It was
officially endorsed on 6 August 2015 the Department of Education and Training.
This means registered training organisations (RTO) now have the green light to
begin delivering training for this new qualification.
7. Will Current Aged And Community Workers
Have To Upgrade Their Qualification?
Aged care
facilities, community centres and other care providers prioritise staffs that
have formal qualifications. Most qualified carers today hold qualifications
like the Cert III in Aged Care, but there are no formal industry requirements
on what course you should complete.
If you are
already working in aged, disability or community care, gaining additional
specialisations with the Certificate III in Individual Support can be helpful
to expand your career.
Consult with
your employer on what qualification would be ideal and if they can support you
in your studies.
8. Should New Aged And Community Care
Workers Wait For The New Qualification?
If you are just
starting a career in personal or community care, you can still take up courses
such as the Cert III in Home and Community Care, which are still valid today.
Training
organisations still need time to develop course materials for the new
Certificate III in Individual Support because it has just recently been
finalised. They will have 12 months to transition students to this new
qualification.
You don’t need
to delay starting your career by a year because the certificate III courses in
aged care, disability and home and community care will still be valid during
this period.
Holding a
qualification now helps you apply for jobs and gain valuable work experience.
You can use this work experience to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning and
gain credit for the new course units if you decide to specialise in the new
qualification later on.
9. Are You Required To Have A
Specialisation?
No, choosing
and gaining one or more of the 3 specialisations is not required. You will gain
the Certificate III in Individual Support qualification as long as you meet its
new packaging rules.
A new training
package has just been released to help Australians fill in job vacancies in the
health and community care industry created by our rapidly ageing population.
Instead of
having separate courses for Aged Care, Disability and Home and Community Care,
these are now merged into a single qualification called the Certificate III in
Individual Support.
This new course
features major changes to core and elective units, more placement hours to gain
experience, and the opportunity to specialise in one or more care settings.
