FIELD                 COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL SERVICES

 

Review of Human Services qualification

 

National Certificate in Human Services (Level 4) with optional strands in Deaf/hearing impairment, Intellectual Disability, Physical Disability, and Blind/visual Impairment [Ref: 0728]

 

The Community Support Services Industry Training Organisation Limited has completed the review of the qualification listed above.

 

Replacement qualifications

 

National Certificate in Community Support Services (Human Services) (Level 3) [Ref: 1396]

National Certificate in Community Support Services (Intellectual Disability) (Level 3) [Ref: 1397]

 

Date new versions published                                                          July 2008

 

The next qualification review is planned to take place during 2013.

 

Summary of review and consultation process

 

The review of the qualification listed above supports a major review and reclassification of the unit standards in the Community Support subfield.

 

The consultation process covered a three-year period and included the involvement of specific advisory groups for each sector.  Feedback from the consultation and moderation processes showed that the sectors required discrete qualifications that reflected their specific needs, rather than one multi-stranded qualification.  The requirement was for practical and portable work-based qualifications that allowed candidates to move between sectors.

 

The new qualifications have a workplace focus and are aimed at support workers who usually operate under general supervision and often act autonomously.

 

Main changes resulting from the review

 

·      Two new qualifications have been developed.

·      The qualifications have been updated to reflect the unit standard review.

 

National Certificate in Human Services (Level 4) with optional strands in Deaf/hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disability, Physical Disability, and Blind/visual Impairment [Ref: 0728]

replaced by

National Certificate in Community Support Services (Human Services) (Level 3) [Ref: 1396]

National Certificate in Community Support Services (Intellectual Disability) (Level 3) [Ref: 1397]

 

Review category

C

See Key to Qualification Review Categories at the end of report

 

There are substantial differences between the new and replaced qualifications.  Changes include

·      the credit total has been reduced from 120 and split across the two replacement qualifications, with 55 credits in Ref: 1396 and 48 credits in Ref: 1397

·      the new qualifications do not include optional strands

·      standards 497, 1304, 1809, 1810, 1814, 1817, 1819-1822, 1825, 1826, 1828, 1830, 1834-1836, 1838, 1841, 6400-6402, 7916, 7918, 7926, 7953, 7954, 12349, 12355, 14257, 15299, 15308, 15309, 16869, 16871-16873, 16962, and 16963 have not been included in the new qualifications

·      standards 1811, 1816, 16870, and 16874 have been included in both of the new qualifications in either the compulsory or elective sections

·      standard 1818 has only been included in Ref: 1396

·      standard 5012 has only been included in Ref: 1397

·      standard 1831 has been replaced by standard 22382 in the compulsory section of Ref: 1397.

 

Transition

 

People currently working towards the replaced qualification may either complete the requirements for that qualification by 31 December 2011 or transfer their results to one of the new qualifications.  The last date for entry to training programmes or courses leading to the replaced qualification is December 2008.  Entry into programmes leading to the award of the replacement qualifications will begin in August 2008.

 

Qualification 1396 contains standards that replace earlier standards.  For the purposes of this qualification, people who have gained credit for the expiring standards are exempt from the requirement to gain credit for the replacement standards - see table below.

 

Credit for

Exempt from

1838

23383

 

Qualification 1397 contains standards that replace earlier standards.  For the purposes of this qualification, people who have gained credit for the expiring standards are exempt from the requirement to gain credit for the replacement standards - see table below.

 

Credit for

Exempt from

1831

23382

1838

23383

5019

23386

 

People who feel disadvantaged by the transition process should contact Community Support Services Industry Training Organisation Limited (see contact details below).

 

Community Support Services Industry Training Organisation

PO Box 25 255

CHRISTCHURCH

 

Telephone              03 371 9295

Email                       enquiries@cssito.org.nz

 

Key to Qualification Review Categories

 

Category A

The qualification is published as a new version with the same NQF ID

Changes are made to SSB name, contact details or purpose statement

No change is made to title, rules or components of the qualification

No transition arrangements are required

Category B

The qualification is published as a new version with the same NQF ID

Changes are made to title, rules or components

The new version of the qualification recognises a similar skill set to that recognised by the previous version

The SSB is confident that people awarded the new or previous version are comparable in terms of competence

Transition arrangements are required if candidates must gain additional/different credits for the new version

Category C

A new (replacement) qualification is published with new NQF ID

Significant changes are made to the qualification in terms of components, structure, type or level

The SSB views people with the replacement qualification as being significantly different in terms of competence from those with the replaced qualification

Transition arrangements are required

Transition may be limited to phase-out dates

Category D

Qualification will expire.

There is no replacement qualification

Qualification is no longer required by industry

The qualification is designated as expiring and a last date for meeting the qualification requirements is set