CHC50213 Diploma of School Age Education and Care – Flexible Study

The CHC50213 Diploma of School Age Education and Care has been part of the education and care qualification review undertaken by Skills IQ. This qualification is now superseded by CHC50221 Diploma of School Age Education and Care and is currently in an 18-month transition and teach out period which ends in January 2023 and this will be conducted by all Registered Training Organisations that offer this qualification.

ECTARC are currently working on our application to become an approved RTO to offer this new qualification and will be looking to commencing enrolments in early 2022.

What does this mean for new students wanting to enrol now?

ECTARC can still enrol students into the CHC50213 Diploma of School Age Education and Care. This qualification remains as an approved qualification by ACECQA.

However, it is important to note that all requirements for the CHC50213 Diploma of School Age Education and Care must be completed by January 2023 to be issued with this qualification. If students do not complete by this time and are required to transition to the new qualification bridging and/or additional units may be required to be completed and this will result in additional training fee costs.

Please see the information below regarding this qualification to determine if this is achievable. For students who will not complete prior to January 2023 transition will occur as soon as practicable once ECTARC has received approval to offer the new qualifications. Where possible ECTARC are currently commencing students on units that will receive a credit transfer should they be required to transition to the new qualification to reduce the amount of additional work required.

If you require further clarification on the above, please call ECTARC on 02 4223 1111.

There are 25 units in total – 18 compulsory units and 7 elective units must be completed for this qualification.

Compulsory Units

1. CHCECE001 Develop cultural competence
2. CHCECE004 Promote and provide healthy food and drinks
3. CHCECE009 Use an approved learning framework to guide practice
4. CHCECE011 Provide experiences to support children’s play and learning
5. CHCECE016 Establish and maintain a safe and healthy environment for children
6. CHCECE018 Nurture creativity in children
7. CHCECE019 Facilitate compliance in an education and care service
8. CHCECE020 Establish and implement plans for developing cooperative behaviour
9. CHCECE021 Implement strategies for the inclusion of all children
10. CHCECE024 Design and implement the curriculum to foster children’s learning and development
11. CHCECE026 Work in partnership with families to provide appropriate education and care for children
12. CHCPRT001 Identify and respond to children and young people at risk
13. CHCSAC001 Support children to participate in school age care
14. CHCSAC002 Develop and implement play and leisure experiences in school age care
15. CHCSAC003 Work collaboratively and respectfully with children in school age care
16. CHCSAC005 Foster the holistic development and wellbeing of the child in school age care
17. HLTAID004 Provide an emergency first aid response in an education and care setting
18. CHCDIV002 Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety

Electives

The following units are suggested electives based on consultation with the education and care sector. For further elective options please speak to your ECTARC Training and Development Officer or visit training.gov.au.

1. HLTFSE001 Follow basic food safety practices
2. CHCDIV001 Work with diverse people
3. BSBLED401 Develop teams and individuals
4. CHCPRP003 Reflect on and improve own professional practice
5. BSBINN502 Build and sustain an innovative work environment
6. CHCMGT003 Lead the work team
7. CHCWHS003 Maintain work health and safety

IMPORTANT ELECTIVES NOTICE

* First Aid Unit

FIRST AID CERTIFICATE: please note all students must complete the First Aid Certificate HLTAID004 Provide an emergency first aid response in an education and care setting with an external registered training organisation at their own expense. A copy of the Statement of Attainment must be forwarded to ECTARC before the completion of the course. Credit Transfer will be granted for this unit provided the First Aid Certificate is current on completion of the enrolled qualification. Where the First Aid Certificate expires throughout the enrollment period, the student is required to renew this, at their own cost, prior to their qualification being issued. To find an external training provider please click here myskills.gov.au

Important Information: Please read the following attachment in regards to first aid changes.

First Aid Information

Units within this qualification require students to complete work placement hours in a regulated early childhood education and care service within Australia. These hours may be completed as part of the students paid employment or as an unpaid practicum. An ECTARC Assessor will visit the workplace to assess students on the job and/or via video conferencing throughout the qualification.

Work placement requirements – 240 hours

• 180 hours – 6-12 years – School age
• 30 hours – must include a child with additional needs (any age group)
• 30 hours – service management

Please note: Where you are employed in an education and care service that has the required ages/groups, these hours can be completed within your workplace. Where all required ages/groups are not available in your workplace these hours must be completed as a practicum at another regulated education and care service.

Certain units have work placement hours that are required to be completed before the unit is deemed competent. ECTARC TDO’s can provide further information on this.

Vaccination information

Please visit your state health and/or other government departments websites for current vaccination information and requirements for students, volunteers and employees working in education and care services to see what the requirements are for your state. If vaccination is required, you will need to meet these requirements to successfully complete the work placement and practical assessment requirements of this qualification.

Where vaccination is required and you choose to not meet these requirements, this will affect your ability to complete this qualification. All work placement hours and practical assessments must be satisfactorily completed in an education and care service to be deemed Competent in the units, and where this cannot be achieved a Statement of Attainment/qualification cannot be issued.

Criminal History Check

Most states and territories throughout Australia have regulatory and/or legislative requirements to protect the interests of children, by setting standards that include the requirement that ‘fit and proper’ persons be engaged in prescribed children’s services. This requirement applies equally to voluntary/work experience educators.

If you are enrolled in an education and care qualification and are not currently employed in the sector, you may be required to complete your states relevant checks prior to attending practicum. Contact ECTARC for further details.

ECTARC students receive support from their personal ECTARC Training and Development Officer by phone, email, live webinar study sessions and assessment visits in the service. ECTARC students have access to the online ECTARC Training Portal where they can access learning materials and submit assessments. Practical assessments are conducted through observation in the workplace or via live video conferencing. Students will require access to a computer and the internet to undertake this course. Through the ECTARC Training Portal students can also:

– message their Training and Development Officer
– upload forms and documents
– view marked assessment tasks – students are notified as soon as an assignment is marked
– access resources – additional information and documentation to support learning.

The ECTARC Training Portal is available through secure market leading technology and students find it very easy to use. The ECTARC Training Portal increases communications with students and ensures valuable information is available when required and provides access to their student records 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If for some reason you do not have access to the internet please contact our office to arrange an alternative study solution. Hard copies of learning materials can also be provided on request.

ECTARC guarantees that a Training and Development Officer is always available to speak to Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Tuesday evenings 5pm to 7pm.

Access to the Training Portal on completion

All students will have 14 days access to the ECTARC Training Portal after their course completion date to download content and any completed assessments for future reference. To download completed assessments, go to the relevant unit and click on the ASSIGNMENTS link to view your assessment tasks. Click on the assessment task you wish to copy and then right click on your mouse and choose the PRINT function. Change the destination from your printer to the PDF setting and click SAVE. If you have any questions regarding the saving of your online content, please call 02 4223 1111.

Assessment Submission Requirements

Fee for service students must submit at least one assessment task within a 6 month period or their enrolment will be made inactive. Where the student has not made attempt to contact ECTARC or submitted an assessment within 12 months the student will be withdrawn from the program.

Average completion time is 24 months. This is self paced, more time allocated to study will determine when the qualification can be achieved. For example, a student that studies full time may be able to complete the program in approximately 18 months. The full qualification must be completed within 3 years from date of enrolment and regular submission of assessment tasks is required.

Note: For fee for service/distance students, provided you complete all the program requirements within your enrolment period the time frame for submission is flexible to meet your personal circumstances. Please note however, students must submit at least one assessment task within a 6-month period, or their enrolment will be made inactive. If they remain inactive for 12 months they will be withdrawn from the program. To recommence studies, student will need to complete the full enrolment process, and this will include the payment of enrolment fees.

Please see the ECTARC Fee Schedule for current fees.

Fee on enrolment application is $420 – $225 enrolment fee + $195 first unit.

Purchase one unit at a time as you progress through the qualification when you study at your own pace. No large full course fees required on enrolment.

First Aid component to be completed externally through a registered training provider.

Courses can be commenced at any time of  year.

What you need to read…

Students are required to read the following documentation and ECTARC policies prior to commencing the online Enrolment Application Form (this will be sent to you by email from ECTARC) to ensure they understand their rights and responsibilities before enrolling:

• ECTARC Training and Course Guide
• ECTARC Fee Schedule

What you need to get ready…

To complete the online enrolment application form, students need to:

• provide a valid Unique Student Identifier (USI) number
• photo identification – driver’s licence, passport or proof of age card – take a photo of the document so it is ready to upload.
• give permission on the USI website for ECTARC to view their USI records (if applying for credit transfer only). Note: Where study was completed prior to 2015 or has not yet been reported, the student must provide a copy of their transcript for ECTARC to verify with the training provider.

Foundation Skills Questionnaire

Once you have submitted your online Enrolment Application Form you will be required to complete a Foundation Skills Questionnaire – ‘Foundation skills’ is the term that Australian Government agencies use to cover both Core Skills and Employability Skills. The five Core Skills are reading, writing, numeracy, oral communication, and learning; and the Employability Skills are teamwork, problem solving, initiative and enterprise, planning and organising, self-management, learning, and technology. ECTARC is required to identify needs of students throughout the enrolment application process and to ensure that the qualification is suitable for the student. After ECTARC receives the Enrolment Application Form, students will be provided access to the relevant Foundation Skills Questionnaire on the ECTARC Training Portal, which must be completed for the enrolment process to be finalised. ECTARC will contact the student to complete the oral component and discuss the outcomes of this questionnaire where required.

It’s a regulatory requirement that if you’re studying nationally recognised training in Australia from 1 January 2015, you will be required to have a Unique Student Identifier (USI). Your USI links to an online account that contains all your training records and results (transcript) that you have completed from 1 January 2015 onwards. When applying for a job or enrolling in further study, you will often need to provide your training records and results (transcript). One of the main benefits of the USI is the ability to provide students with easy access to their training records and results (transcript) throughout their life. You can access your USI account online from your computer, tablet or smart phone anytime.

How do you get a USI?

Visit http://www.usi.gov.au/create-your-USI/Pages/default.aspx

Follow the steps here to get a USI. It is easy and quick to do. When you enrol online you will be required to enter your USI number.

For detailed information on the USI please visit the Australian Government’s Department of Industry website at visit http://www.usi.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx

Identification

On enrolment you are required to upload a copy of photo identification (e.g driver’s licence, passport or proof of age card). Your ECTARC Training and Development Officer will need to sight the original document during your sign up which may occur in person or via webinar.

Previous Qualifications

The Australian Governments’ Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTO’s) 2015 requires RTO’s, such as ECTARC, to authenticate VET qualifications, Statement of Attainments and transcripts that are provided by students for the purposes of granting credit transfer or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). To do this students must provide copies of qualifications, Statements of Attainments and/or transcripts to ECTARC and grant permission for ECTARC to view their records on the USI Portal at www.usi.gov.au

Where permission is not granted, ECTARC will contact the issuing RTO for verification.

Please note

ECTARC requires all documentation and relevant information before fully processing enrolments. Training will not commence until all documentation is received. We want to ensure that you get any credit transfer or RPL you are entitled to and that all regulatory requirements are met.

What is RPL?

RPL is an assessment process where candidates provide evidence of previous experience to demonstrate that they hold the required skills and knowledge of one or more units of competency. Previous experience may include (but is not limited to) paid or voluntary work, life experience, professional development or formal qualifications.

Can I apply for RPL?

RPL is suited to candidates who have demonstrated experience in an education and care service or equivalent. ECTARC recommends experience of a minimum of 5 years for those wishing to apply for RPL for a full qualification, in a variety of roles within an education and care service.  This however, is very dependent on the individual experiences, so we encourage anyone wanting to learn more about RPL to contact ECTARC to discuss this further.

What evidence is required?

The candidate must provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate their competence against an entire unit of competency. For each unit, the following tasks provide the candidate with the opportunity to ensure that sufficient evidence can be gathered:

• Competency Conversation – An ECTARC Training and Development Officer (TDO) will discuss with the candidate their previous experiences to determine the extent of their skills and knowledge for each unit of competency. In addition to this, throughout the assessment process, and where appropriate, Competency Conversations may also be used to confirm competence where sufficient evidence has not been provided.
• Practical Assessment – Every unit of competency includes practical skills that must be demonstrated within a regulated education and care service within Australia. The candidate will be observed in the workplace to ensure that they are performing these skills to the standards required. In some cases, simulations may be conducted and evidence may be submitted by video to support the practical assessment.
• Portfolio – The candidate provides a portfolio of evidence of previous experiences, such as testimonials, copies of former qualifications, statements of participation in professional development, photographs and examples of their own work. This evidence is assessed and mapped by an ECTARC TDO to the requirements of a unit.

Credit Transfer

Credit Transfer is different to RPL in that the student already has completed a unit of competency in a previous qualification. To be granted Credit Transfer, ECTARC requires evidence of successful completion of the unit; this can be provided through the USI Portal or a certified copy of a transcript or Statement of Attainment. Once this evidence is verified, Credit Transfer will be granted.

Example: Tania has been working in a primary school as an education support worker for  the past 6 years. Two years ago she completed the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support, which included the unit CHCPRT001 Identify and respond to children and young people at risk. Over the past year, Tania has also been volunteering in the outside school hours care that is provided within the school and has decided she would like to complete the CHC50213 Diploma of School Age Education and Care. Tania enrols with ECTARC and has a competency conversation with an ECTARC TDO and an assessment plan is developed for her. Tania is granted a credit transfer for the unit CHCPRT001 Identify and respond to children and young people at risk and the TDO decides that she has sufficient experience to apply for RPL for a number of units relating to the development of children aged 5-12 years, developing relationships with children and supporting the behaviour of children. The remainder of units will be completed through the training and assessment pathway, where Tania will receive her learning materials and assessment tasks on the ECTARC Training Portal and will be supported by her ECTARC TDO to complete these.

Eligible?

If you think you may be eligible for RPL or credit transfer be sure to discuss this with ECTARC and/or provide relevant information and documentation when enrolling as it can save you time and/or money.

Employment prospects for people holding the CHC50213 Diploma of School Age Education and Care qualification include Nominated Supervisor, group coordinator, group leader, outside school hours care coordinator, outside school hours care educator, program leader, team leader or vacation care coordinator.

The CHC50213 Diploma of School Age Education and Care course is for educators who have the responsibility for the day-to-day management of a before and after school care and/or vacation care service, including planning, implementing and managing programs which address licensing, quality rating systems and duty of care requirements. At this level educators have responsibility for supervision of other staff and volunteers.

For more information on ECTARC’s policies such as complaints, refunds and privacy please click here.