Kidcare / Apply First Aid

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Department of Community Services, (DOCS) has mandated that Childcare workers must complete a course in “Apply First Aid” which is taken from the Health package – HLTFA301B.

A statement issued by DOCS in a document entitled “The first aid approval process” point 2.ii) says:

“From July 2009, an approved first aid qualification Children’s Services Regulation 2004 will be: Either the national competency HLTFA301B Apply First Aid or HLTFA402B Apply Advanced First Aid”

This course has been approved by WorkCover for most workplaces including childcare centres.
Only Registered Training Organisations, (RTOs) can deliver this course
The certificate issued is a Statement of Attainment and is valid for 3 years
The qualification has national recognition which means you can move interstate and still have your first aid qualification recognised
The final date for implementing this change is 30.06.2009
After this date all WorkCover course approvals will lapse. This means that any companies delivering a first aid course that is not HLTFA301B will not be recognised by WorkCover

If you require a First Aid Certificate for your workplace or would like to just learn important life saving skills, consider our Apply First Aid – HLTFA301B course.

Or if you would like to further enhance your skills, please consider our Apply Advanced First Aid – HLTFA402B course.

Why the change?

Kidcare and Childcare courses have had a focus on managing small children and have not dealt with adults, especially as far as CPR is concerned. Statistically, adults are more likely to be victims of cardiac arrest than small children. Childcare centres also have adults present at all times as well as parents visiting every day. The Kidcare course did not adequately provide training as thoroughly as the new course - Apply First Aid.

What’s the difference between Kidcare and Apply First Aid?

Apply First Aid has a broader application to cater for all places of work. It includes these additional elements:

Introduction to first aid	▪ Skills and limitations ▪ Chain of survival ▪ Respond in a culturally aware, sensitive and respectful manner ▪ Basic OHS requirements ▪ Moving the casualty
Resuscitation	▪ Respiratory Distress ▪ Submersion
Casualty Assessment/ Secondary Assessment	▪ Altered & Loss of Consciousness
Trauma	▪ Needle stick injuries ▪ Minor skin injury
Medical conditions	▪ Fainting (syncope)

Do I have to upgrade my qualification?

It is advisable, to ensure you and/or your staff are adequately trained for an emergency, whether it’s for children in your care or staff and visitors to your place of work. This is a regulatory requirement by WorkCover under the OHS Regulations 2001. Couple this with the recommendation by the Australian Resuscitation Council, (ARC), Australia’s peak body, which recommends that CPR should be refreshed every 12 months and it’s clear that it would make sense to upgrade your Kidcare or Childcare qualification within 12 months of when you completed it.