Commissioners Information Bulletin 162
Issued: 1 May 2001

Interim Registration for the Community Services Traineeships in Youth Work and Disability Work

At the request of the NSW Community Services and Health Industry Training Advisory Body, the Department of Education and Training has agreed to the interim registration of traineeships in: Community Services (Youth Work) Certificate III CHC 30999 and IV CHC 40999 and Community Services (Disability Work) Certificate III CHC 30799. These qualifications form part of the Community Services Training Package Qualifications Framework. Interim registration will enable immediate implementation in NSW.

The new Youth Work traineeships will replace the existing curriculum based traineeship program in Youth Work Certificate III (National Code 5368) pending completion of the Vocational Training Order alignment to the qualifications framework for the Community Services Training Package. The alignment exercise is due for completion in May/June 2001.

Nominal Term
Community Services (Youth Work) Certificate III CHC 30999 – 12 months
Community Services (Youth Work) Certificate IV CHC 40999 – 24 months
Community Services (Disability Work) Certificate III CHC 30799 – 12 months

Qualification Structure
All three qualifications have community services common units which are packaged with specialisation and optional units to enable the achievement of occupational outcomes. The common units will be contextualised to meet the requirements of particular work functions.

Where enterprise units are included as options within the qualification, these will need to be submitted to Community Services and Health Training Australia for referral to the National Training Quality Council for endorsement. If enterprise units are included as additional units over and above the packaging requirements, endorsement is not required.

Youth Work
The competency standards have been packaged to meet the varying needs of workers in the youth sector – namely:

• those who provide services to young people as part of their work role. Units may be undertaken as single units and/or incorporated into other qualifications and;
• those who work primarily providing specialist youth services. A whole package of units will be undertaken resulting in a youth work qualification.

Youth workers can be grouped in seven broad areas:

• Family and Child Support (including family and individual support, respite care, counselling, pastoral care, information and education)
• Social/Home Support (including community based residential care, community care, financial and material assistance)
• Community Action/Development (including community; legal services, advocacy, information services, special purpose organisations, community centres, regional development, leisure recreation, education and training, research, local/residents action)
• Residential/Accommodation (including crisis, residential, custodial, community, refuges, homelessness, resident advocacy, living skills, rent allowance assistance)
• Health related work (including mental, drug and alcohol, community, sexuality/reproduction, self-help, rehabilitation, Aboriginal health)
• Labour Market Programs (including employment development, career counselling, training and education, work placements, study support)
• Acute Care

Disability Work
The competency standards for disability cover all levels of staff from base level direct support staff to managers working in the full range of disability services:

• Residential facilities and related support services whether in institutions, in community based settings or in people with disabilities’ own homes
• Services related to employment, from services which place, train and support people with disabilities in open employment, to services which operate as the employer (including supported employment services and sheltered workshops)
• Recreation Services
• Adult day training services
• Advocacy services
• Respite services
• Peer support programs

The packaging and combination of the minimum number of units drawn from the relevant competency standards and required for each qualification are outlined at Attachment A.

• Support materials – Curricula to support delivery of all three qualifications can be accessed through the DET Curriculum Clearinghouse. Training Record books to support all three traineeship categories have been listed on the ITAB Curriculum Priority Funding Submission 2001 - 2002.
• Industrial arrangements - are in place through:

Youth sector
The Social and Community Services Employee (State) Award. This award includes part-time as well as school-based provisions .

Disability sector
The Community Services Employee (State) Award. This award includes part-time as well as school-based provisions .

Licensing
There are no licensing requirements for either sector, although employees in the youth sector are subject to probity screening by the NSW Police.

For any enquiries regarding this CIB, please contact the Vocational Training Tribunal Unit on (02) 9266 8579.

PAM CHRISTIE
Commissioner of Vocational Training