Certificate IV in Disability Support

Free TAFE
Free TAFE Pathways Program
Course Code CHC43121
Locations Warrnambool, Portland, Hamilton, Colac

Would you prefer another study location? Click here

Study Mode Full-time, On Campus
Length Six months
Commencement November 2024, February 2025, July 2025. See mode of delivery section for intake locations and details.
Timetable Two days a week on campus.
Course delivery pauses over the school holiday period.
Course Overview
Introduction

Certificate IV in Disability will give you a real life hands-on experience of working with people with disabilities. Our course is structured to give you the best possible knowledge through training both at the TAFE campus and workplace experiences. 

This course is also offered as a traineeship.

What will I Learn?

Certificate IV in Disability Support teaches you the knowledge and skills required to work as a Disability Support Worker within the disability sector and NDIS framework. The program prepares you to support clients in a range of settings including client’s homes. The program focuses on the provision of person-centered support that aims to empower people with disabilities to achieve greater levels of independence, self-reliance, community participation and well-being.

As a graduate of this course you will be able to work without direct supervision and may be required to supervise others or a small team.

Mode of delivery

Colac campus

  • Courses starting: 4 November 2024 and February 2025.
  • Duration: Six months. Two days a week on campus.

Warrnambool campus

  • Courses starting: February 2025 and July 2025.
  • Duration: Six months. Two days a week on campus.

Hamilton campus

  • Courses starting: July 2025.
  • Duration: Six months. Two days a week on campus.

Portland campus

  • Courses starting: July 2025.
  • Duration: Six months. Two days a week on campus.

Course Outcomes and Career Opportunities

  • Direct Care Worker
  • Residential Care Worker
  • Social Educator
  • Day Support Worker
  • Disability Support Officer
  • Behavioural Support Officer

Pathways

This course is listed as a Free TAFE Pathways Program to the Diploma of Nursing.

Placement

You will be required to be assessed within the workplace for five units of this course. This will require you to undertake 60 hours of work placement or be assessed in the workplace if you are already working in industry. Placement can be undertaken in the second half of the course or within 6 months of the completion of the coursework.

Prior to beginning placement, you must pass the NDIS work screening check at your own cost.

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

Qualification pre-requisites:

To apply for this course you must hold one of the following qualifications:

  • Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability) CHC33021/CHC33015* or
  • Certificate III in Disability CHC30408 plus the Entry to Certificate IV in Disability Support Skill Set CHCSS00125.

*If you have completed Certificate III in Individual Support CHC33015/CHC33021 without the disability specialisation but you have completed Disability Skill Set CHCSS00130, you will be deemed to have met the entry requirements.

Evidence of completion of the above entry requirements must be provided at your interview and verified by the teaching department prior to enrolment.

Entry requirements:

  • you must be at least 18 years of age
  • meet industry vaccination requirements
  • undertake an interview with the teaching department after applying
  • produce an NDIS worker screening check prior to placement

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
CHCLEG003 Manage legal and ethical compliance 80 $0.00
CHCMHS001 Work with people with mental health issues 80 $0.00
CHCCCS044 Follow established person-centred behaviour supports 60 $0.00
CHCDIS017 Facilitate community participation and social inclusion 60 $0.00
CHCDIS018 Facilitate ongoing skills development using a person-centred approach 50 $0.00
CHCDIS019 Provide person-centred services to people with disability with complex needs 95 $0.00

Elective Units

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Unit Code Unit Name Unit Hours Unit Consumables
CHCADV001 Facilitate the interests and rights of clients 100 $0.00
HLTHPS006 Assist clients with medication 80 $0.00
CHCCCS035 Support people with autism spectrum disorder 55 $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) $4,025.00
Concession rate $805.00
Full fee rate (if not eligible for govt subsidy) $9,555.00
This is a Free TAFE course

Everyone has different circumstances that can affect what you pay and how much you pay. Your fees each year are made up of 2 different elements:

  • Tuition fee
  • Consumables/material fee

There are 3 different rates of tuition fees. Only one will apply to you depending on your eligibility and circumstances. The 3 categories include:

The fees listed below are indicative only and may be subject to change without notice and given individual circumstances. Your actual fees will be calculated based on your individual circumstances at the time of enrolment. Funding made available to eligible individuals by State and Commonwealth Governments. If funding is utilised, this may affect future opportunities to access additional funding in the future.

This course is part of the Free TAFE Pathways Program

A Free TAFE Pathways Program is a group of courses that complement each other to help you continue to train for the career and industry you may wish to work in. For eligible students, these courses are tuition fee free. Depending on the course, you may still be required to pay material fees. The consumable fees for this course are listed in the above table.

Find out more about the Free TAFE Pathways Program and eligibility or contact us.

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.

Swipe for full table
Additional course fees Indicative Course Fee
Course consumable/materials (approximate) $26.25
Booklist

Your course may require you to purchase additional materials or books (eg uniform, stationery, textbooks). Some of these items are optional and some are mandatory. You can purchase these items from Campion Education, second-hand or via another supplier. Click here to find out more. 

You can download the booklist for this course here: HERE

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.