RPL for Certificate III in Community Services

Certificate III in Community Services takes 12 units. Through Recognition of Prior Learning, each unit is assessed on evidence of work you have already done rather than on training you sit through.

What the assessment looks at

Every unit sets out what you must be able to do and what you must know. An assessor works through them one at a time, asking the same question each time: does this person's evidence show they can do this reliably, in a real workplace, recently enough to count?

You can read the full requirements for CHC32015 on the national training register. They are public, and worth a look before you spend anything — if the units describe work you have never done, RPL is not your route.

Evidence worth gathering before you start

• Photos of completed jobs, ideally showing a few stages of the same job, with their original dates intact.
• Job sheets, dockets, work orders or site diaries covering a spread of jobs.
• Supervisors, employers or clients who will confirm specifically what you did.
• Any licences or tickets you already hold.

How the guided process works

You work through the 12 units one at a time, talking about jobs you have actually done. You can speak rather than type. Add photos as you find them, and stop whenever you like — progress saves itself, and most people spread this over weeks while they dig out records. At the end you have an evidence portfolio your RTO's assessor can work through.

What this does not do

It does not assess you, and it cannot promise you CHC32015. An assessor at a registered training organisation makes that decision and may require further evidence or training. What a complete portfolio buys you is a fair assessment rather than a rejection over paperwork.

See what CHC32015 involves →

The 12 units you complete, chosen from these 42

You do not do all 42. Certificate III in Community Services is 5 core units, which everyone does, plus 7 chosen from the 37 electives below. Read both lists before you spend anything — it is the fastest way to tell whether RPL is your route. If most of this describes work you have done, you have a case to make. If whole sections describe work you have never touched, an assessor will say so, and doing the course is the honest answer.

Core units — everyone does these

• CHCCCS016 — Respond to client needs
• CHCCOM005 — Communicate and work in health or community services
• CHCDIV001 — Work with diverse people
• HLTWHS002 — Follow safe work practices for direct client care
• HLTWHS006 — Manage personal stressors in the work environment

Electives — you choose from these

• BSBINS302 — Organise workplace information
• BSBPEF301 — Organise personal work priorities
• CHCADV001 — Facilitate the interests and rights of clients
• CHCAOD001 — Work in an alcohol and other drugs context
• CHCAOD002 — Work with clients who are intoxicated
• CHCAOD003 — Provide needle and syringe services
• CHCCCS005 — Conduct individual assessments
• CHCCCS009 — Facilitate responsible behaviour
• CHCCCS017 — Provide loss and grief support
• CHCCCS019 — Recognise and respond to crisis situations
• CHCCCS028 — Provide client-centred support to people in crisis
• CHCCCS031 — Provide individualised support
• CHCCCS038 — Facilitate the empowerment of people receiving support
• CHCCCS040 — Support independence and wellbeing
• CHCCDE017 — Support collaborative planning processes
• CHCCDE019 — Work within a community development framework
• CHCCDE020 — Implement participation and engagement strategies
• CHCCOM001 — Provide first point of contact
• CHCDFV001 — Recognise and respond appropriately to domestic and family violence
• CHCDIV002 — Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety
• CHCEDU003 — Provide sexual and reproductive health information to clients
• CHCEDU005 — Work with clients to identify financial literacy education needs
• CHCEDU009 — Provide parenting, health and well-being education
• CHCGRP001 — Support group activities
• CHCMHS001 — Work with people with mental health issues
• CHCPOL001 — Contribute to the review and development of policies
• CHCPRP001 — Develop and maintain networks and collaborative partnerships
• CHCPRT025 — Identify and report children and young people at risk
• CHCSET003 — Work with forced migrants
• CHCSET004 — Undertake bicultural work with forced migrants in Australia
• CHCSOH013 — Work with people experiencing or at risk of homelessness
• CHCVOL001 — Be an effective volunteer
• CHCYTH013 — Engage respectfully with young people
• CHCYTH015 — Support young people to create opportunities in their lives
• HLTAID011 — Provide First Aid
• HLTAID013 — Provide First Aid in remote or isolated site
• TAEDEL311 — Provide work skill instruction

Each unit breaks down further into elements and performance criteria — the specific things you have to be able to show. The guide works through them one unit at a time and asks about jobs you have actually done, rather than making you read the register yourself.

Related qualifications

Same training package, and a common second choice for people who find this one is not quite their trade:

• Certificate III in Active Volunteering (CHC34015, 10 units)
• Certificate III in Community Safety Services (CHC35021, 12 units)
• Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC30125, 17 units)
• Certificate III in Individual Support (CHC33021, 15 units)
• Certificate III in School Based Education Support (CHC30221, 15 units)
• Graduate Certificate in Client Assessment and Case Management (CHC82015, 10 units)

More RPL in health and community services

Every qualification in this industry, which of them have a guide ready, and what assessors here accept as evidence: RPL in health and community services.

When you are ready, see what CHC32015 costs and what the guide asks you for, or read what counts as evidence and how RPL compares with doing the course.