Diploma Of Community Services

COURSE OVERVIEW

This qualification reflects the roles of community services, case management and social housing workers involved in the managing, coordinating and/or delivering of person-centered 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.

COURSE ENTRY REQUIREMENT

Age Requirements:

All international students must be 18 years of age to apply.

English Language Requirement:

• An IELTS level of 5.5 or equivalent (TOEFL 197, iBT 46, PTE academic 42, CAE 47, CAE of 47) for direct entry into a VET course (Results older than two years are not acceptable).

OR

• Evidence that within two years of their application date, they have successfully completed Certificate IV or higher-level qualification from the Australian Qualifications Framework.

OR

• For level 1 country, student needs to successfully complete the Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) Test administered by Epoch International College.

Academic Requirement:

• Satisfactory completion of Year 12 or VCE or its equivalent overseas qualification.
• Experience in an aged care or nursing environment will be acknowledged and taken into consideration.

LLN:

Epoch International College will also administer Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) Evaluation test to all students to ensure that they have the ability to complete the course. This test will occur prior to the course commencement and will be assessed by authorised delegate.

Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

All international students must have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the entire duration of their stay in Australia.

DURATION

The duration for the course is 72 weeks (56 weeks of study + 6 weeks work placement + 10 weeks of term breaks) for International Students, including breaks and holidays, who are required to complete at least 20 hours of face-to-face study per week.

EMPLOYMENT PATHWAY

Students completing CHC52015 – Diploma of Community Services may enter into workplace or continue current roles and may seek employment in the following jobs:

• Community services worker
• Early intervention worker
• Group facilitator
• Program coordinator
• Youth officer
• Welfare worker
• Case worker

EDUCATION PATHWAYS

After achieving the Diploma of Community Services, you have several pathway options. You can complete further study such as social work and counseling. This is on an individual application basis.

COURSE UNITS

CHC52015- Diploma in Community services

Participants need to complete sixteen (16) units of competency to obtain diploma qualification. This qualification has

• 8 core units.
• 8 elective units, of which:
  • at least 6 units from the electives listed in the CHC training package.
  • up to 2 units from the electives listed in CHC training package, 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 specialization.

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.

Units of competency

CHCLEG003	Manage legal and ethical compliance	Core
HLTWHS004	Manage work health and safety	Core
CHCDEV002	Analyse impacts of sociological factors on clients in community work and services	Core
CHCDIV003	Manage and promote diversity	Core
CHCCOM003	Develop workplace communication strategies	Core
CHCPRP003	Reflect on and improve own professional practice	Core
BSBPEF501	Manage personal and professional development	Elective
CHCCSM005	Develop, facilitate and review all aspects of case management	Elective
CHCCCS004	Assess co-existing needs	Elective
CHCCSM004	Coordinate complex case requirements	Elective
BSBWOR502	Lead and manage team effectiveness	Elective
CHCCSM006	Provide case management supervision	Elective
CHCMGT005	Facilitate workplace debriefing and support processes	Core
CHCCCS007	Develop and implement service programs	Core
BSBPMG522	Undertake project work	Elective
BSBTWK503	Manage meetings	Elective
External	Work Placement

COURSE FEES:

Fee Information*

Application Fee:	$250 (Non-refundable)
Tuition Fee:	$21500
Material Fee:	$250
Total Fees:	$22000

Epoch International College would not accept payment of more than $1500 from each individual student prior to the commencement or in advance at any given time.

*Further fee / charges information can be found in student handbook, or from Epoch International College’s administration office.
*Tuition fees and other compulsory costs (material fees, books etc.) may change from year to year. However, students continuing in their current qualification will not incur any fee increases.
*Material Fees includes but not restricted to books, Tutorials and course documents.

VOLUME OF LEARNING

The volume of learning allocated to a qualification will vary depending on the level of the qualification and the experience and competency of the student. As per the Australian Quality Framework, students must complete the allocated hours for the qualification they are undertaking in order to achieve competency. If the student applies for Recognition of Prior Learning or Credit Transfer, the volume of learning may be reduced. The hours that make up the volume of learning for CHC52015 – Diploma of Community Services are:

Face to face classroom-based learning and simulated practical Learning:	1120
Practical Placements (scheduled over 6 weeks)	120
Self-paced/Home Study (independent supplementary research, assessment preparation, doing assignments, independent review of delivery material, practice):	360
Total Amount of Learning:	1600

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE WORK PLACEMENT:

A Police Clearance Certificate is mandatory prior to your work placement; you must undertake a Federal Police Check (AFP) or State Police check (it must be no less than 3 months old). This can be done through a website. These checks will be completed at the start of your industry work placement. Our staff can give advice and assist you to complete these checks.

WORK PLACEMENT

Work placement of 120 hours is a requirement for completion of this qualification. Before undertaking work placement, students may be required to complete First Aid and Manual Handling. It is a legal requirement for all individuals working in the care industry in Australia to undertake a national police check.

Work Placement at an appropriate services provider is arranged with the learner to make this a rewarding experience. Epoch International College will organize and select appropriate commercial operations under written agreement for learners to undertake work placement. These operations will provide all of the facilities, equipment and resources required by the student to undertake work and unit requirements.

The purpose of work placement is to provide learners the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skill requirements of the units in the course for which performance at an actual work site is required. During placement students will receive both training and assessment including:

• Apply theory to practice
• Practice and consolidate their knowledge and skills
• Demonstrate competence in pre-determined units of the course
• Demonstrate their ability to communicate and work productively with staff and agency clients
• Enhance their personal and professional development
• Build their professional confidence

UNIQUE STUDENT IDENTIFIER

Students are required to obtain a Unique Student Identifier (USI) prior to commencing their course. The USI provides students with the ability to obtain a complete record of their Vocational Education and Training records from a single online source. Epoch International College will not issue a Certificate or Statement of Attainment to a student who does not have a USI unless they fall under the USI exemptions. You can obtain a USI from www.usi.gov.au or Epoch International College can obtain it on your behalf once you complete and Application for USI which will be provided to you with your enrollment form. If you are an offshore international student studying outside of Australia then you are exempt from having a Unique Student Identifier: www.usi.gov.au/pages/exemptions.aspx

IMPORTANT INFORMATION – Student Handbook, Policies and Procedures, Fees and Charges

Information about our training and assessment, policies and procedures, fees and charges are kept on server and should be read by you, prior to enrollment. In addition, the student handbook is also located on server and available for you. These documents contain important information about your training course, fees and charges including our refund policy.

IDENTIFICATION OF STUDENT NEEDS AND STUDENT SUPPORT

Student needs are declared by the applicant at the time of enrollment: the application form allows the applicant to self-declare where they have learning disabilities.

Every student is interviewed either face-to-face or over the telephone to attempt to establish the applicant skill and knowledge levels, their current employment and how does that relates to the course content and interaction.

Where language, literacy and numeracy are in question Epoch International College has a language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) assessment they may undertake to confirm their level of language, literacy and numeracy skills. Pre-Training review is in place to determine the suitability of the qualification and specific learning style.

Reasonable adjustments to training and assessment will be made and additional support (e.g. LLN, assistive technology, additional training, alternative delivery and assessment modes and methods) provided where students with physical attributes or specific learning needs are identified as required changes to complete their training and assessment.

RPL/CREDIT TRANSFER

Students with prior learning and work experience can apply for RPL. Students who have completed corresponding units of competency and/or units contained within the packaging rules can apply for Credit Transfer. RPL evidence must include some of the following:

• Work experience
• Life experience
• Previous study
• Professional development programs

If you wish to apply for RPL or Credit Transfer, please notify Epoch International College at the time of enrollment

CONTACT DETAILS

Email: info@epoch.edu.au
Phone: +61 411 352 771