There is no greater disability in society than the inability to see a person as more.Robert M. Hensel
Welcome to Certificate III in Individual Support!
Congratulations on taking the first step towards your fulfilling career as an Individual Support Worker with a specialisation in disability.
The role of a Support Worker is an extremely important one. You have the opportunity to make a positive difference in people's day-to-day lives. Providing tailored care specific to clients' needs, compassion and companionship to individuals who are often vulnerable and need assistance, to ensure a comfortable, safe and purposeful life as independently as possible. The role of support workers in the community is a vital one and extremely fulfilling.
We look forward to supporting you on your journey and seeing you grow and develop into a qualified and confident Individual Support Worker.
On this page
- About this course - description of the CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support Qualification, outcomes and assessment types.
- Course Resources - Structured workplace learning and assessment (SWLA) guides and documents.
- Module Outline - description of each online module and the unit of competency it relates to.
About this course
This qualification reflects the role of workers in the community and/or residential setting who follow an individualised plan to provide person-centred support to people who may require support due to ageing, disability or some other reason. Work involves using discretion and judgement in relation to individual support as well as taking responsibility for own outputs. Workers have a range of factual, technical and procedural knowledge, as well as some theoretical knowledge of the concepts and practices required to provide person-centred support.
To achieve this qualification, the candidate must have completed at least 120 hours of work as detailed in the Assessment Requirements of the units of competency.
Having a set routine is the best way to ensure you are successful in completing your qualification. To assist you in doing so, a Study Plan template has been developed for this qualification.
You can find more details on Training.gov the national register of vocational education and training (VET).
A day in the life of a Disability Support Worker
Course Resources
Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment
Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment (SWLA) is a compulsory part of CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability) Qualification facilitating the opportunity for students to apply their skills and knowledge gained throughout the course in a workplace environment.
The Work Placement commitment is a minimum of 120 hours in total and is aligned to fifteen (15) units within the course.
Work Placement is split into two (2) groups, dedicated to the SWLA-related information and to the submission of the required assessments and related documents as follows:
Group 1:
CHCCOM005, CHCLEG001, HLTWHS002, HLTINF006
Group 2:
CHCCCS036, CHCCCS040, CHCCCS031, CHCCCS038, CHCCCS017, CHCDIS011, CHCDIS012, CHCDIS020
All these above units are linked with Work Placement. You will be deemed 'Competent' only upon the completion of the 120 hours of work placement.
Prior to commencing SWLA, you must successfully complete a range of knowledge-based assessments relating to the skills and competencies that are to be applied and developed during your SWL A experience.
For further details about SWLA, please read the Student Guide to Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment document.
Before commencing SWLA:
Complete the Host Organisation Approval Form providing the required details about your workplace, its facilities and resources and the details of your proposed Workplace Supervisor. You will submit the form in Module 5, just before the module dedicated to SWLA 1.
Once the Host Organisation is approved, provide a copy of the Supervisor Guide to Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment to your proposed Workplace Supervisor.
Obtain a working with children check (WWCC), or pre-employment/child-safe screening, as per the requirements of each state/territory. You can check the requirements here.
Provide all required documentation to the Host Organisation as per their policies and procedures. Confirm the requirements with the workplace! This may include:
- Working with children check
- National Criminal Record Check/Police Check
- Vaccination certificate against infectious diseases
- A signed Confidentiality Agreement.
Ensure you have all required personal protective equipment necessary for the workplace.
For further details, read the Student Guide to Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment document that includes 'Frequently Asked Questions' for your information.
| Module | Unit Code | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction | N/A | ||
| Orientation | N/A | ||
| 1 | Communicate and work in health or community services | CHCCOM005 | This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to communicate effectively with clients, colleagues, management and other industry providers. |
| 2 | Work legally and ethically | CHCLEG001 | This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to identify and work within the legal and ethical frameworks that apply to an individual job role. |
| 3 | Work with diverse people | CHCDIV001 | This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to work respectfully with people from diverse social and cultural groups and situations, including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. |
| 4 | Recognise healthy body systems | CHCCCS041 | This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to work with basic information about the human body and to recognise and promote ways to maintain healthy functioning of the body. |
| 5 | Safe work practices and infection control | HLTWHS002, HLTINF006 | HLTWHS002 - describes the skills and knowledge required for a worker to participate in safe work practices to ensure their own health and safety, and that of others in work environments that involve caring directly for clients. It has a focus on maintaining safety of the worker, the people being supported and other community members; and HLTINF006 describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to apply basic infection prevention and control principles in work settings including implementing standard and transmission-based precautions and responding to risks. |
| 6 | SWLA 1 | CHCCOM005, CHCLEG001, HLTWHS002, HLTINF006 | The Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment (SWLA 1) is completed in Workplace Assessments whilst you are completing vocational placement. You will need to undertake a range of practical tasks over a period of time in an appropriate workplace and under the supervision of an appropriately qualified and experienced supervisor. |
| 7 | Support relationships with carer and family | CHCCCS036 | This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to work positively with the carer and family of people using a service based on an understanding of their support needs. |
| 8 | Support independence and well being | CHCCCS040 | This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to provide individualised services in ways that support independence, as well as physical and emotional wellbeing |
| 9 | Provide individualised support | CHCCCS031 | This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to organise, provide and monitor personal support services for a person within the limits established by an individualised plan. The individualised plan refers to the support or service provision plan developed for the person accessing the service and may have different names in different organisations. |
| 10 | Facilitate the empowerment of people receiving support | CHCCCS038 | This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to facilitate the empowerment of people receiving support, and to deliver rights-based services using a person-centred approach. It should be carried out in conjunction with individualised plans. |
| 11 | Provide loss and grief support | CHCCCS017 | This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to recognise and respond to the needs of people who are experiencing loss, grief and bereavement. |
| 12 | Contribute to ongoing skills development using a strengths-based approach | CHCDIS011 | This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to assist with supporting the ongoing skill development of a person with disability. It involves following and contributing to an established individualised plan and using a positive, strengths-based approach. |
| 13 | Support community participation and social inclusion | CHCDIS012 | This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to assist with supporting people with disability in community participation and social inclusion using a person-centred approach. This involves enabling people to make choices to maximise their participation in various community settings, functions and activities to enhance psychosocial wellbeing and lifestyle in accordance with the person’s needs and preferences. |
| 14 | Work effectively in disability support | CHCDIS020 | This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to work effectively in a disability support work context. The unit covers meeting job requirements, complying with organisational requirements and working in a disability sector context. |
| 15 | Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety | CHCDIV002 | This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to identify Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety issues in the workplace, model cultural safety in own work practice, and develop strategies to enhance cultural safety. |
| 16 | SWLA 2 | CHCCCS036 CHCCCS040 CHCCCS031 CHCCCS038 CHCCCS017 CHCDIS011 CHCDIS012 CHCDIS020 |
The Structured Workplace Learning and Assessment (SWLA 2) is completed in Workplace Assessments whilst you are completing vocational placement. You will need to undertake a range of practical tasks over a period of time in an appropriate workplace and under the supervision of an appropriately qualified and experienced supervisor. |