Diploma of Community Services

Career Opportunities

Study Mode

Course Units

Prerequisites

Course Fees

Enrolment Documents

Course Code

CHC52015

Duration

1.5 Years - 2 years

About the Qualification

This qualification reflects the roles of community services, case management and social housing workers involved in the managing, co-ordinating and/or delivering of person-centred services to individuals, groups and communities.

At this level, workers have specialised skills in community services and work autonomously under broad directions from senior management. Workers are usually providing direct support to individuals or groups of individuals. Workers may also have responsibility for the supervision of other workers and volunteers and/or case management; program coordination or the development of new business opportunities.

Note that the Statutory & forensic child, youth & family welfare specialisation must be achieved in order to meet the minimum education requirements for child protection and youth justice practice in Victoria. In addition, to meet the minimum education requirements for entry into child protection practice in Victoria, diploma qualifications must be approved by the Australian Community Workers Association (ACWA)

To achieve this qualification, the candidate must have completed at least 100 hours of work as detailed in the Assessment Requirements of units of competency.

No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this qualification at the time of publication.

Prerequisites

There are no formal entry requirements for this qualification.

However, a pre-enrolment process to establish suitability to undertake the course and to determine support requirements will be conducted, which will include a Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) assessment.

This course is offered to clients who:

Candidates who are working in the industry and want to update their knowledge and skills and gain a formal qualification.
Candidates who are working in the industry and have the part qualification and wish to gain the full qualification.

Characteristics: A higher percentage of candidates being in the age ranges of 20 to 50-year-old. Predominately students will be fluent in the English language

Motivation: Key motivations are the desire to achieve recognized qualifications in the community services industry

Course Duration

Course Duration - 1.5 Years - 2 years

Typically this training course requires between 1.5 years to 2 year(s) to complete, determined by your own special circumstances and also the mode of study which you select. For example, if you were to do this program online and routinely allocate time and energy to complete the activities and assignments every week you may finish the course well ahead of the time.

Qualification Level

Diploma

Career Opportunities

Case Coordinator
Case Worker or Manager
Client Service Assessor
Community Services Worker
Community Worker
Coordinator
Coordinator Family Services
Family Support Worker
Group Facilitator/Coordinator
Program Coordinator or Manager
Social Welfare Worker
Welfare Worker

Study Mode

Work-based

Assessment

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Recognition is available (on application) to students with prior skills, experience, knowledge or qualifications obtained from formal studies or training, in a related area. Recognition may reduce the duration of your studies.

RPL is available for each Unit of Competency-based on relevant workplace experience, formal training, or other expertise.

RPL is conducted through assessment only pathway

To apply for RPL, please contact info@auschs.edu.au to gain further information.

Simulated Work Environment

If a simulated work environment is required, it will be achieved by using suitable facilities, equipment and resources including individualised plans and equipment outlined in the plan, modelling of industry operating conditions, including presence of problem-solving activities and organisational policies, procedures and protocols.

Work Placement

To be assessed as competent in this qualification you must also complete 100 hours of supervised work placement in a relevant community service setting e.g. direct client work or community education or development. It is your responsibility to locate placement however the College will assist where possible.

Depending on where you undertake your placement you may also need to undergo a police check including working with children check.

It’s the student’s responsibility to find a suitable work placement for the course.

The successful completion of work placement hours as advised in the assessment conditions of the units is required to complete this course. A Statement of Attainment will be issued for the completed units for the units completed which don’t require a work placement. (Please refer to training.gov.au to review assessment conditions of the units or ask your Trainer)

Education and Support Services

In accordance with the requirements of Standards for RTOs 2015, the following support is available to learners:

Language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) advice. The ACSF informs the identification and description of underpinning English language, literacy and numeracy features and requirements within competency standards. LLN requirements of participants will be assessed using LLN assessment form completed upon enrolment. LLN needs of Learners will be taken into consideration in the delivery and assessment of this qualification.

The following processes will be applied for students

Learning and assessment materials are written in plain English.
Delivery modes are negotiated to meet the needs of a diverse range of learners.
Entry to courses is in accordance with equal opportunity legislation, anti-discrimination legislation.

Support strategies include:

Identifying requirements (such as literacy, numeracy, English language or physical capabilities) learners would need to complete each course and if necessary, referring them to specialist services prior to enrolling in the course.
Developing strategies to make support available where gaps are identified.
Assistive technology
Additional tutorials

Reasonable Adjustment

Reasonable adjustment is the process of adjusting our intended methods of learning and assessment to accommodate the unique requirements of our clients yet remaining within the constraints of the training package whilst still applying the principles of assessment.

The following processes will be applied for students

Learning and assessment materials are written in plain English.
Delivery methods are negotiated to meet the needs of a diverse range of learners.
Entry to courses is in accordance with equal opportunity legislation, anti-discrimination legislation.

Reasonable Adjustment is a key strategy in achieving this outcome. Adjustments are made to the learning environment to ensure equal opportunity without imposing unjustifiable hardship on the Australian College of Higher Studies or compromising the integrity of the Qualification Standards.

Reasonable Adjustment should be catered for without compromising assessment conditions. For example, the Trainer/Assessor should withdraw from assessment to protect privacy, confidentiality and potentially company security concerns. In this instance, Reasonable Adjustment needs to be applied i.e. using a different form of Assessment or a simulated environment.

We are committed to assisting all of our clients where within our capacity to complete the course. To ensure we understand where we can assist we ask our students to self-identify any areas that we can assist them in. Our options and approach to English language literacy have been raised earlier.

Obviously, the trainer/assessor can make their own observations as to how they can modify our assessment process to meet the needs of our students. In the case of this course, possible areas of Reasonable Adjustment include: Shorter more frequent sessions for people with attention issues, the use of colour paper or tinted transparencies to assist those with dyslexia. In general, the student will know what form of reasonable adjustment suits their needs address these options with the student but ensure the needs of the Training Package are met, any requests for Reasonable Adjustment that cannot immediately be accommodated should be discussed with the CEO, and where we cannot accommodate the request, we will refer the Student onto a suitable organisation.

The RTO has incorporated a separate comment section for Reasonable Adjustments into each form of Assessment and in all of its assessment tools, or reasonable adjustments can be made as notes in the general comment sections.

Articulation

Graduates of this course may apply for entry into:
• Bachelor of Arts (Welfare Studies)
• Bachelor of Social Science
• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Arts (Criminology)
• Bachelor of Arts (Family Studies)
• Bachelor of Arts (Community Development)
• Bachelor of Social Work

Course Units

Total number of units = 16

8 core units
8 elective units, consisting of:
at least 6 units from the electives listed below
up to 2 units from the electives listed below, any endorsed Training Packages or accredited courses – these units must be relevant to the work outcome

Any combination of electives that meets the rules above can be selected for the award of the Diploma of Community Services. Where appropriate, electives may be packaged to provide a qualification with a specialisation.

Packaging for each specialisation:

at least 4 Group A electives must be selected for award of the Diploma of Community Services (Case Management)
at least 3 Group B electives must be selected for award of the Diploma of Community Services (Social Housing)

All electives chosen must contribute to a valid, industry-supported vocational outcome.

Elective units must be relevant to the work environment and the qualification, maintain the integrity of the AQF alignment and contribute to a valid, industry-supported vocational outcome.

Core Units

CHCCCS007

Develop and implement service programs

CHCCOM003

Develop workplace communication strategies

CHCDEV002

Analyse impacts of sociological factors on clients in community work and services

CHCDIV003

Manage and promote diversity

CHCLEG003

Manage legal and ethical compliance

CHCMGT005

Facilitate workplace debriefing and support processes

CHCPRP003

Reflect on and improve own professional practice

HLTWHS004

Manage work health and safety

Elective Units

BSBWOR501

Manage personal work priorities and professional development

CHCCCS004

Assess co-existing needs

CHCCSM004

Coordinate complex case requirements

CHCCSM005

Develop, facilitate and review all aspects of case management

CHCCSM006

Provide case management supervision

BSBWOR502

Lead and manage team effectiveness

BSBADM502

Manage meetings

BSBPMG522

Undertake project work

Course Fees

Fee for Service

$---

Smart & Skilled Student Fees

Fee-FREE Qualifications – Skilling for Recovery – NSW

Eligibility

To be eligible for fee-free full qualification training under Skilling for Recovery You Must be in one of the following four categories:

1. Youth 17-24 (regardless of employment status)
2. Commonwealth Benefit Recipient (including unemployed Jobseeker)
3. Unemployed (Not a Commonwealth Benefit Recipient)
4. People expected to become unemployed (one of the following four categories):

• Stood down/Jobkeeper/furloughed employee: Employee that has been stood down or employee for whom employer has JobKeeper arrangement in place and at risk of becoming unemployed. Requires upskilling or reskilling for new role and employment elsewhere
• Person returning to work (employed for 6 months or less): employed on condition of receiving training to build capacity and capability for the job role. This would be within the first 6 months of employment
• Low skilled/unskilled employee: Existing employee, with or without relevant skills or previous qualification up to Certificate III, that requires training to upskill to secure ongoing employment or future employment
• Workers in declining industries: Workers at any company in an agreed declining industry (e.g. international travel industry) who require upskilling/reskilling for redeployment.

Smart and Skilled Student Fees (Only for NSW residents)

The cost of this course will vary based on your eligibility for a Smart and Skilled Student Fee. Eligibility criteria can be found on the Smart and Skilled website or you can call us on 1300 600 888 for further information and advice.

First qualification- $4420

Second qualification- $4970

Exemption- $0

FEE-FREE TRAINEESHIPS

There’s never been a better time to start a traineeship in NSW. The NSW Government will pay the student fee on behalf of students who fit the eligibility requirements – meaning students undertaking a Government Funded traineeship course no longer face a student fee of up to $1000.

Fee-free traineeships are available to NSW students – including school-based trainees whose training:

is funded under the NSW Government’s Smart and Skilled Program
Traineeships commenced on or after 1 January 2020

Traineeships are a great career pathway. They combine on-the-job training with formal study to give you the skills and experience employers are looking for. Traineeships generally take around 1-2 years to complete, and trainees earn a salary while they learn.

For more information: https://vet.nsw.gov.au/choosing-vet/fee-free-traineeships

The fees indicated above are based on students being approved for training subsidized by the NSW Government. Students can pay their fee upfront or undertake an AUSCHS’s Instalment Plan which will commence at the time of enrolment.

Payment Plans Available**
**Conditions Apply
*** Please refer to the course handbook and the pre-enrolment student handbook, Smart and Skilled information handbook for enrolment policy, RPL, refund policies, fees arrangements and for more information feel free to contact us by emailing info@auschs.edu.au or calling 1300600888

Please contact us to obtain the Fee For Service quotes.