Diploma of Community Services

Free TAFE
Free TAFE Pathways Program
Course Code CHC52021
Locations Warrnambool

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Study Mode Full-time, On Campus
Length Two years
Commencement February 2025, July 2025
Timetable February: One day a week on campus (9am – 5.30pm) plus practical placement.
July: One day a week on campus and one evening class a week via virtual classroom (5.30pm - 8.30pm), plus practical
placement.
You will also be required to undertake 400 hours of practical placement during the course (140 hours in the first year and 260 hours in the second year) outside of timetabled class times.
Course Overview
Introduction

This qualification will give you the tools and knowledge needed to provide a range of services and interventions to clients within the community service sector.

This course gives you real-life industry experience where you will gain knowledge and skills in working with individuals, groups and whole communities through 400 hours of practical placement.

This is a Community Work Australia accredited course. This is a generalist course and offers a wide range of employment opportunities upon graduation in a large range of contexts.

What will I Learn?

By completing the Diploma of Community Services, you'll develop essential skills for a career in community services. You'll learn to assess and support clients with coexisting needs, apply trauma-informed care principles, and develop effective workplace communication strategies.

The course emphasises cultural competence, including promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural safety and maintaining work health and safety standards. You'll also gain expertise in legal and ethical compliance, professional practice improvement, and facilitating workplace debriefing and support processes.

Additionally, you'll learn to handle domestic and family violence situations, facilitate responsible behaviour, and manage crisis situations. The program covers developmental assessment, service program implementation, sociological impact analysis, case management, and trauma-informed care, equipping you with comprehensive counselling skills to support diverse client needs effectively.

Mode of delivery

February: One day a week on campus (9am – 5.30pm) plus practical placement.

July: One day a week on campus and one evening class a week via virtual classroom* (5.30pm - 8.30pm), plus practical placement.

You will also be required to undertake 400 hours of practical placement during the course (140 hours in the first year and 260 hours in the second year) outside of timetabled class times..

*Virtual classroom - a live online teaching and learning environment where teachers and students can present course materials, engage, interact, and work in groups together.

Course Outcomes and Career Opportunities

  • Community services worker
  • Family support worker
  • Welfare worker
  • Case manager
  • Child protection clinician
  • Advocate
  • Homeless support worker
  • Youth justice worker
  • Community corrections worker
  • Student welfare coordinator
  • Family violence case worker
  • Community development worker

Pathways

This course offers a pathway into the Bachelor of Social Work at Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus.

Placement

This course includes industry experience where you will gain knowledge and skills in working with individuals, groups and whole communities. This experience is gained through 140 hours of placement in the first year and 260 hours of placement in the second year.

In order to undertake placement, you must be able to obtain a current Working with Children Check, a police check with no disclosure and where necessary the NDIS worker screening. You may also be required to be
COVID vaccinated.

Information Session

Why don’t you come along to our next course info session to find out everything you need to start your learning journey? You can chat with our teachers, tour our facilities, learn more about the course, find out about the application process and get your questions answered by our course experts. 

Find the next info session near you

Course Requirements
Entrance requirements & pre-requisites

  • be at least 18 years of age
  • have access to a computer, microphone, webcam and internet
  • After applying, you must undertake written entrance questions and have an interview with the teaching department
  • In order to undertake placement, you must be able to obtain a current Working with Children Check, a police check with no disclosure and where necessary the NDIS.

Course requirements

To be eligible for this qualification, you must successfully complete 20 units: 12 core and 8 elective.

Units offered

Core Units

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Unit Code Unit Name Unit Hours Unit Consumables
HLTWHS003 Maintain work health and safety 40 $0.00
CHCDIV001 Work with diverse people 40 $0.00
CHCDIV002 Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety 25 $0.00
CHCPRP003 Reflect on and improve own professional practice 120 $0.00
CHCLEG003 Manage legal and ethical compliance 80 $0.00
CHCCCS004 Assess co-existing needs 80 $0.00
CHCCCS007 Develop and implement service programs 100 $0.00
CHCMGT005 Facilitate workplace debriefing and support processes 120 $0.00
CHCCCS019 Recognise and respond to crisis situations 45 $0.00
CHCCSM013 Facilitate and review case management 75 $0.00
CHCDEV005 Analyse impacts of sociological factors on people in community work and services 100 $0.00
CHCDFV001 Recognise and respond appropriately to domestic and family violence 50 $0.00

Elective Units

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Unit Code Unit Name Unit Hours Unit Consumables
CHCCOM003 Develop workplace communication strategies 100 $0.00
CHCCSL003 Facilitate the counselling relationship and process 120 $0.00
CHCMHS013 Implement trauma informed care 80 $0.00
CHCCCS009 Facilitate responsible behaviour 40 $0.00
CHCMHS007 Work effectively in trauma informed care 40 $0.00
CHCMHS011 Assess and promote social, emotional and physical wellbeing 80 $0.00
CHCDEV004 Confirm developmental status 60 $0.00
CHCCSL001 Establish and confirm the counselling relationship 100 $0.00
Assessment

This course involves accredited units.  You will be required to complete assessment tasks to demonstrate your underpinning knowledge, skills and attributes to meet the course outcomes.  A combination of written, oral and practical assessment strategies will be used in either a classroom, online or workplace environment. 

Where units require demonstration of skills in a workplace environment, you will have the opportunity to do this either in your own workplace (where appropriate), through a practical placement, or by using one of the Institute's simulated workshops/classrooms.  Detailed information about the types, conduct and dates of assessments will be provided in advance.  You will also be provided with information about the opportunity for reassessment and appeal.

After applying

Once you have applied for your chosen course, you will receive a thank you email from South West TAFE with a few steps to help process your enrolment.

Complete a Pre-Training Review
You will receive an email to complete a Pre-Training Review online evaluation. This evaluation helps us tailor your training to suit your needs.

Create or provide a Unique Student Identifier (USI)
A USI is a nationally recognised reference number that provides an online record of your training qualifications gained in Australia.
Create your USI
Already have a USI but can’t remember it? Find your USI

Skills recognition
If you have experience or prior qualifications, you may be eligible to apply for recognition of prior learning and gain credits. You will be asked to provide any relevant Statement of Attainment to support identified credits.

Fees
Course Fees

Here's an outline of fees and costs associated with your course.

Your fees each year can be made up of 3 different elements.  Everyone has different circumstances that can affect what you pay and how much you pay. :

  1. Tuition fees - charged as an hourly rate that varies from course to course. A large portion of the tuition is subsidised by the Victorian Government for eligible students.
  2. Resource and/or materials costs - covers the cost of materials and other incidentals. This fee will vary according to the course being undertaken.
  3. Booklist items - such as textbooks, equipment and stationery recommended for your course

Tuition fees

There are 4 different rates of tuition fees. Only one will apply to you (depending on your eligibility and circumstances). 

  1. Government Subsidised Fee - you could be eligible for a government-subsidised rate under the Skills First funding depending on your age, educational history, and citizenship or residency status. If you are eligible, the government will contribute to the cost of your training.
    Find out more about subsidised training

  2. Government Subsidised Concession Fee - If you are eligible for a Skills First government-subsidised place and hold a current healthcare or pension card, that you can provide at enrolment, you may be eligible for the concession rate. Note, the concession rate is not applicable to Diploma level courses.
    Find out more about concession rates

  3. If the course is a Free TAFE course or part of the Free TAFE Pathways Program - Eligible students will not pay course tuition fees for the duration of their enrolment in this course, however, there may be some consumable/material fees for the course (find out more below). Any resource or material costs, or booklist items for this course are listed in the table below.
    Find out more about Free TAFE
    Find out more about Free TAFE Pathways Programs

  4. Full fee - If you are not eligible for a Skills First government-subsidised place, exemption, concession or are enrolling in a course that isn't government-subsidised, you may be required to pay the full fee rate.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT FEES AND ELIGIBILITY

The fees listed below are indicative only. The course fees published are subject to change given individual circumstances at enrolment. Course fee funding is made available to eligible individuals by the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments. If funding is utilised, this may affect opportunities to access additional funding in the future. An accurate quote for this course will be provided during the enrolment process.

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Course fees by student type Indicative Course Fee
Government subsidised rate (if eligible) $13,310.00
Full fee rate (if not eligible for govt subsidy) $13,310.00
Resource and/or materials costs

Some courses require specific resources or materials necessary for your study eg: tools of the trade, excursions, etc. Final costs will be determined upon enrolment.

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Additional course fees Indicative Course Fee
Course consumable/materials (approximate) $0.00
How do I pay my fees?

Once we have processed your enrolment form, you will receive an email with your invoice.

You have three options when organising your payment:

  1. Upfront payment - can be made over the phone with EFTPOS
  1. Payment plan - can be directly debited from your bank account, debited from your Centrelink payments or via a VET Student Loan (for diploma or advanced diploma courses only)
  1. Paid by employer, school or job network agency - if your fees are being paid by your employer, school or job network agency, you will need to complete an Authority to Invoice form.

Payments will need to be arranged within five(5) business days of receiving the email containing your invoice.

We also offer a range of scholarships each year which you may be eligible to apply for to assist with course fees.

Next Steps
How to apply

There are five simple steps to apply for a course with us.

  1. Apply - complete a short online application form. Once this form is submitted we'll send you a thank-you email.
  2. Literacy and Numeracy Assessment - we will assess whether you need to undertake a Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) assessment and email it to you if required.
    If you are not required to undertake this assessment, you will skip to step 3.
  3. Chat to our team - your teacher or course specialist will contact you to discuss the course in more detail and ensure the right units of study are selected for you.
  4. Enrol – you will be sent an email to accept your offer for the course. By accepting, you will be directed to verify your details and submit your enrolment for processing.
  5. Pay - once we’ve completed your enrolment, we will send you an invoice to arrange payment of your course fees.

If you need any assistance with applying, contact our team on 1300 648 911 or visit your nearest campus.

Careers and Course Advice

Not sure which course is right for you? South West TAFE will help you find your way.

Our Careers Coaches at the Skills and Jobs Centre is here to support you. Whether you’re exploring career options, transitioning from school to the workforce or looking to study after school we’re here to help you.

Student Support

As a SWTAFE student, you can access a variety of support services that will enhance your study experience and help you complete your studies successfully. For more information about any of these services, visit our student page.