Changes to the Minimum Qualifications Set to Shake up the Out of Home Care Sector

The DHHS has recently changed the minimum requirements for workers in residential and out-of-home care.

From 1 January 2018, all residential care workers must hold, or be undertaking:

• Certificate IV in Child, Youth and Family Intervention (Residential and Out-of-Home care). This must include a mandatory trauma unit of competency; OR

• a recognised relevant qualification, plus completion of a short top up skills course.

These requirements apply where care is funded or delivered by the Department of Health and Human Services. They apply to all workers (full time, part time or casual) who provide direct care to children and young people in residential care.

ONCALL is investigating the best course of action to address this. If you don’t have these qualifications by the cut-off date, you won’t be able to work.

Only DHHS recurrently funded organisations were able to access funding under this transition scheme. Labour hire organisations did not come into scope and were unable to access the funded training. ONCALL lobbied hard with the Department, the Centre for Excellence and Melbourne Polytechnic. Our unique work in the contingency OOHC space enabled us to secure limited funded places for staff to complete the 4 Top Up units. Please note, no other labour hire organisation has been successful in accessing funding. Staff in these organisations must pay in full to complete the required training .

ONCALL will continue to lobby DHHS and the Sector on the need to provide further support to ensure there is a workforce post 1st January 2018.