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Home > Child care > Child care legislation > Child care licensing information > Qualifications

Qualifications

Centre based services (other than school age care services) | School age care services | Unqualified persons fulfilling requirements for a qualified person in a centre based service | Licensed home based care services (family day care)

The Child Care Regulation 2003 contains the specific qualification requirements for staff in licensed centre based (for assistants, group leaders and directors) and home based services (for family day care coordinators). Licensees must ensure that staff engaged to meet the staff: child ratio hold an approved qualification.

All staff in licensed centre based services are required to be adults (i.e. 18 years of age), unless they are assistants who are 17 years old and studying an appropriate qualification.

Carers in licensed home based care and stand alone care services are not required to hold an appropriate qualification, however, are required to be at least 18 years of age.

Centre based services (other than school age care services)

Staff in centre based services are required to have the following qualifications:

Director (Section 114 of the Regulation)

Group leader (Section 113 of the Regulation)

Assistant (Section 112 of the Regulation)

School age care services

Staff in school age care services are required to have the following qualifications:

Group leader (Section 113(d) of the Regulation)

Assistant (Section 112 (d) of the Regulation)

Relevant areas of study for school age care

From 3 November 2008 the Relevant areas of study prescribed under section 120 of the Regulation were broadened to include creative arts, fine arts, drama and music. Refer to Child care regulation amendments for further information.

Qualified staff in school age care services may hold a qualification in early childhood or child care studies or in the following relevant areas of study:

This is in recognition of the varying nature of these types of services and the value of a multi-disciplined team.

Unqualified persons fulfilling requirements for a qualified person in a centre based service

The legislation allows a licensee to engage a person in a position if they do not have the required qualification if the person meets certain criteria, such as enrolling in an appropriate course for the position within a certain period after they commence in a position.  Some positions also require a person to hold a prerequisite qualification, as well as enrolling in an appropriate course of study.

From 3 November 2008 the period to enrol in study prescribed under section 118 of the Regulation was reduced from 6 months to 3 months for certain positions.

Director (centre based, other than school age care)

If a person does not have the relevant qualification for a director they may be engaged as a director provided they have the qualification of a group leader (the prerequisite qualification), and commence studying an appropriate course within 3 months of being engaged in the position (See section 118 (5) of the Regulation). They must complete the qualification within the prescribed finishing period.

Group leader (centre based, including school age care)

If a person does not have the relevant qualification for a group leader they may be engaged as a group leader provided they have the qualification of an assistant (the prerequisite qualification), and they commence a suitable course within 3 months of being engaged in the position (See section 118 (2) of the Regulation). They must complete the qualification within the prescribed finishing period.

For a person in a coordinating position in school age care

If a person does not have the relevant qualification for a group leader they may be engaged in a coordinating position (See section 118 (4) of the Regulation) provided they commence studying an appropriate course within 6 months of being engaged in the position (See section 118 (3) of the Regulation). They must complete the qualification within the prescribed finishing period.

Assistant (in a centre-based service, including school age care)

A person may be engaged as an assistant, for the purposes of meeting the qualified staff: child ratio, if they are 18 years old or older and they commence a suitable course within 3 months of being engaged in the position (See section 118 (1) of the Regulation). They must complete the qualification within the prescribed finishing period.

Prescribed finishing period means the period that is twice as long as the period in which the course would be completed by a person undertaking the course by full-time study.

Staff who were 45 years or older on the commencement of the 'repealed Act' (for example: the Child Care Act 1991)

Section 193 of the Child Care Act 2002 covers directors, group leaders and assistants who were 45 years or older on the commencement of the repealed Act (that is, on 5 June 1992).

You should contact the Child Care Information Service on 1800 637 711 (24 hours) to speak to a Child Care Resource Officer in a regional office for further information about this qualification provision.

Licensed home based care services (family day care)

Coordinators in licensed home based care services may have a range of qualifications provided that if the service requires more than 35 coordinator hours to be completed then at least one hour must be completed by a qualified coordinator with an early childhood qualification.

Qualifications for a coordinator (section 115 of the Regulation)

From 3 November 2008 the Relevant areas of study prescribed under section 120 of the Regulation were broadened to include creative arts, fine arts, drama and music.

A Family day care coordinator may hold a qualification in early childhood studies or in the following relevant areas of study:

  1. nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, diversional therapy or speech pathology;
  2. primary, secondary or special education;
  3. human welfare studies and services;
  4. behavioural science;
  5. sport and recreation;
  6. creative arts, fine arts, drama or music.

A coordinator in a home based service who on the day the Child Care Act 1991 commenced (for example: 5 June 1992) was a person engaged as a coordinator under that Act is taken to be a qualified coordinator. This provision stops applying if any time after the commencement of the Child Care Act 2002 (for example: 1 September 2003) the person stops carrying out the functions of a coordinator of a home based service, even if the person later resumes this position (section 194 of the Act).

Care providers in licensed home based care or stand alone care services are not required to have a qualification.