FIELD                 COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL SERVICES

 

Review of Community Support Services qualification

 

National Certificate in Community Support Services (Foundation Skills) (Level 2) [Ref: 1291]

 

Careerforce (Community Support Services Industry Training Organisation Limited) has completed the review of the qualification above.

 

Date new version published                                                             March 2011

 

The next qualification review is planned to take place during 2015.

 

Summary of review and consultation process

 

In 2009 Careerforce was asked by the health, disability, and aged support sector to review the structure of the National Certificate in Community Support Services (Foundation Skills) (Level 2) [Ref: 1291] to ensure that it met the training needs of the sector.  The primary aims of this review were to remove barriers to completion of the qualification and to make it accessible to a wider range of support workers.

 

The review of the National Certificate in Community Support Services (Foundation Skills) (Level 2) [Ref: 1291] has been undertaken in consultation with a panel of sector experts, and incorporates feedback from the sector as a whole through a widely advertised electronic consultation.  The consolidated recommendations and feedback from these processes have resulted in changes to the content and structure of the qualification.  These changes include creating an elective section, and retaining in the compulsory section only those unit standards that have been identified as essential to all sub-sectors.  All nine unit standards comprising version 2 of the qualification are available within either the compulsory section or the elective section of version 3.

 

The inclusion of elective unit standards is designed to enable employers to have the flexibility to customise the qualification's content to meet the particular training needs of their organisations and employees.

 

As a result of a recent reclassification, together with the inclusion of elective unit standards and the consequent potential for tailored pathways, the title of the qualification has been changed to reflect the new classification.  The title of version 3 is National Certificate in Health, Disability, and Aged Support (Foundation Skills) (Level 2).  Notwithstanding this change in title and structure, version 3 recognises a similar skill set to that of the previous version, and people awarded either version will be comparable in terms of their levels of competence.  The previous pathway of wholly compulsory unit standards leading to the award of version 2 is still available as a pathway to the completion of version 3 through the selection of specific elective unit standards.

 

A key influence in the review was consultation with the aged residential care sub-sector, the consequence of which was the inclusion of the skill and knowledge competencies required by the Age Related Residential Care agreement and the Health and Disability Standards.

 

Main changes resulting from the review

 

The main changes resulting from the review of this qualification are:

·         increased flexibility in the training pathway

·         increased opportunity for employers and employees to focus this qualification on the particular requirements of their workplace

·         a change in title so that it is now classified in accordance with the subfield rather than one of the contributing domains

·         changes to the structure of the qualification, which include moving a number of unit standards from the compulsory section to the newly added elective section.

 

Version 2 of the National Certificate in Community Support Services (Foundation Skills) (Level 2) [Ref: 1291] requires the completion of nine compulsory standards.  The replacement (version 3) contains a shortened compulsory section accompanied by electives that allow employees and candidates to tailor their foundation qualification to meet the needs of their particular workplace and specific sub-sector.

 

National Certificate in Community Support Services (Foundation Skills) (Level 2) [Ref: 1291]

National Certificate in Health, Disability, and Aged Support (Foundation Skills) (Level 2) [Ref: 1291]

 

Review category

B

See Key to Qualification Review Categories at the end of report

 

Changes to structure and content

·      The qualification has been reclassified in the Health, Disability, and Aged Support subfield.

·      The title of the qualification has changed to reflect the new classification.

·      An elective section has been added to allow the qualification to be tailored to specific sub-sectors; and to enable standards relating to occupational health and safety practice and interpersonal communications to be incorporated into the qualification.

·      Standards 20826, 20829, 23452, 23453, and 23685 have been removed from the compulsory section but are available in the Elective.

·      Standards 20826, 20829, 20830, 23451, 23452, 23453, 23454, 23685, and 23686 comprising version 2 - and which are also available in version 3 - have all been revised.

 

Transition

 

Version 3 was issued in response to strong calls from the sector to remove some of the unit standards from the compulsory section and reposition them as electives, as these unit standards comprised competencies no longer considered to be required elements in all workplaces within a health, disability, and aged support context.  The sector also called for the reviewed qualification to include an element of choice of unit standards in order to meet the requirements of particular workplace environments, as well as the specific requirements of the Age Related Residential Care agreement and the Health and Disability Standards.  The review of version 2 followed the reclassification of a new subfield and domains, and the change in qualification title is a consequence of this reclassification.  Version 3 provides for a knowledge and skill set comparable to that of version 2.

 

For detailed information see Review Summaries on the NZQA website.

 

This qualification contains standards that replace or have been used as substitutes for earlier standards.  For the purposes of this qualification, people who have gained credit for the earlier standards are exempt from the requirement to gain credit for the substituted or replacement standards - see exemption table below.

 

Credit for

Exempt from

20824

23686

20825

23454

20828

23454

 

This qualification also contains classifications that replaced other classifications.  For the purposes of this qualification, people who have gained credit for standards in the expiring classification may use those credits to meet the qualification requirements.

 

Credit for

Exempt from

Community and Social Services > Community Support > Community Support Services

Community and Social Services > Health, Disability, and Aged Support > Community Support Services

Community and Social Services > Health, Disability, and Aged Support > Health and Disability Principles in Practice

Community and Social Services > Health, Disability, and Aged Support > Older Persons' Health and Wellbeing

Community and Social Services > Community Support > Community Field Work

Community and Social Services > Health, Disability, and Aged Support > Health and Disability Principles in Practice

 

People currently working towards version 2 can either complete that version or transfer their results to version 3.  The last date for entry to training programmes or courses for version 2 is December 2011.  The last date to complete the requirements for version 2 is December 2012.

It is anticipated that no existing trainees will be disadvantaged by these transition arrangements.  Any person who feels that he or she has been disadvantaged by these transition arrangements should contact the Community Support Services Industry Training Organisation Limited at the address below.

 

Careerforce (Community Support Services Industry Training Organisation Limited)

PO Box 25255

Christchurch 8144

 

Telephone              03 371 9295 or 0800 277 486

Facsimile                03 371 9285

Email                       enquiries@careerforce.org.nz

Website                   http://www.careerforce.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