UPDATE: Which First Aid qualification is current (with advice from the NSW Department of Education)

Further to the clarification provided on 16 February 2021, the NSW Department of Education has also since officially provided the following written advice to the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) NSW members’ benefit:

If educators are undertaking First Aid training as part of the following qualifications:

• CHC30113: Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, or
• CHC50113: Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care,

that they consider undertaking HLTAID004 (not HLTAID012), to ensure recognition of the qualification, until the matter is resolved.

This follows the confusion from ACECQA's announcement that HLTAID004 (Provide an emergency first aid response in an education and care setting) course will be superseded by HLTAID012 (Provide first aid in an education and care setting) first aid course.

Notwithstanding ACECQA's website (as of 4 May 2021 is still) saying that "HLTAID004 was superseded by HLTAID012 on 15 October 2020" (as shown below), ACECQA has written to ACA NSW saying:

"please be assured that HLTAID004 remains on our published list of approved first aid qualifications. This means that any individual who holds HLTAID004 and satisfies the requirements of Regulation 136 is not impacted by the release of the new First Aid Training Package products."

The NSW Department of Education has also written to ACA NSW saying "that the validity of an educator’s qualification under the superseded units will remain fully recognised for its full intended duration (until it expires or they are required to take a refresher)."

ACA NSW believes all NSW Authorised Officers have been updated with the above information. 

Should any ACA NSW member require any further information/clarification, please contact ACA NSW on 1300 556 330 or nsw@childcarealliance.org.au

PUBLISHED: 4 MAY 2021