Which first aid course do I need for a job in childcare?

Have you recently qualified to work in childcare and are looking for a job?

Are you currently working in childcare?

Or are you planning to work in childcare soon?

Whichever of these 3 situations applies to you, you will need to obtain or renew your First Aid certificate in order to get a new job in childcare or to continue with your current job..

But did you know that you can't do just any first aid training course to work in childcare? There is a very specific course you must do in order to be employed by a childcare centre.

What is the only course that qualifies you to work in childcare?

For anyone who is working in childcare, there are very good reasons why you need to do a very specialised First Aid course.

Children have very different bodies than adults. So they have very different needs than grownups should they become ill or injured while under your care in a childcare centre. This is even truer for very young children like toddlers and even babies.

Some children attending your childcare centre may have allergies or suffer from asthma or other medical conditions. All child care employees therefore need very specialised training on how to handle those as well.

The only first aid course that is considered a legitimate qualification for a child care worker, is HLTAID012 – Provide First Aid in an Education and Care Setting. This is considered the 'industry standard' course that you must do to work in childcare. (This is also the same course that teachers and those who work in Aged Care must do as well.)

What does the course - HLTAID012 - Provide First Aid in an Education & Care Setting cover?

The HLTAID012 course covers a lot of First Aid essentials for children and the elderly, such as handling choking, bleeding, burns, insect and snake bites, minor skin injuries, eye and ear injuries, sprains, strains & dislocations, etc

It also teaches you what to do if a child swallows something poisonous, goes into shock or becomes unconscious. All life-saving skills.

In this course, you learn the correct procedures for performing CPR on a child and an adult. You also train on how to use an AED, which is Automated External Defibrillation device, that is vital for anyone who suffers cardiac arrest. (And yes, this does happen to children.)

Training for allergies and anaphylactic reactions included

Importantly the Childcare First Aid course also covers what you need to do if a child has any type of allergic reaction, which is becoming more common these days, despite the very best efforts of everyone in the childcare industry.

You are also trained in what to do if the child has an anaphylactic reaction, which is much more severe than just an allergic reaction. In this case the child can have a very fast and very severe reaction to an allergen that can lead to their airways being so severely blocked they cannot breathe. In a very short time they can go into shock, have a cardiac arrest and die if they are not given the correct treatment promptly so this is very definitely a life-saving skill every childcare worker needs.

Also training on asthma attacks included in the course

Additionally, the course covers specialised training for a child who suffers from asthma. This too can become a very serious event if the child has an asthma attack while under your care.

Knowing exactly how to handle asthma is again a vitally important life-saving skill you will learn in a childcare first aid course.

In summary, it's a very comprehensive course that provides a high level of training for childcare workers, teachers, aged care workers, etc

When you complete your training with Results First Aid training, you will receive certificate that is valid for work in any state in Australia, because our training is nationally accredited.

You can book your Childcare First Aid training course - HLTAID012 – Provide First Aid in an Education and Care Setting - with Melbourne’s best trainers at our website. Courses are available on a Wednesday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Please book now at https://www.resultsfirstaid.com/courses

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Where can I find a first aid training course for childcare workers in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne?

A. Simple. Just come to our Results First Aid training centre in Truganina. We run regular first aid training for childcare workers every week and also on weekends. So you are sure to find a time that suits you.

Q. Can I do my childcare first aid trianing course online?

A. Yes you can do most of the training course online. This lets you do it from home at a time that suits you. Almost 80% of the course can be done online, then you simply need to come to our training centre for 1 or 2 hours, just to be checked out on your practical assignments.

Q. Will I get a proper certificate and I can transfer the training if I want to move interstate?

A. Yes ALL CPR and First Aid training courses at Results First Aid are fully accredited and nationally recognised. So wherever you want to work in childcare in Australia, your certificate and qualifications will be fully recognised.

Q. What first aid training is required for childcare centres?

Most childcare centres require their staff to be trained in HLTAID012 – Provide First Aid in an Education and Care Setting. We offer this course at Results First Aid and you can do it as blended training so you can do all the theory online first in your own time without having to come to us. You only attend for a couple of hours for the short practical segment of the training.

Q. Is CPR training mandatory for childcare educators?

Yes CPR is generally mandatory for most educators working in childcare. It is taught as part of your First Aid training, but because it requires a refresher course every 12 months then you can do it as a standalone course too. HLTAID009 - Provide CPR.

Q. Does your training include infant and child CPR?

Yes! Our course HLTAID012 – Provide First Aid in an Education and Care Setting definitely includes training in how to do infant and child CPR. As does our CPR course too!

Q. Can you train our entire childcare centre onsite?

Yes! Provided you have at least 10 staff who all want to be trained at the same time we can come and deliver the First Aid training you need, onsite at your childcare centre.

Q. How often do childcare staff need to renew training?

Childcare staff need to renew their First Aid training every 3 years. But they need to renew their CPR training every 12 months.