First Aid Requirements for Childcare Workers in NSW

If you work in early childhood education in NSW — long day care, preschool, family day care or OOSH — first aid isn't optional. It's written into the Education and Care Services National Regulations, and services are audited on it.

What the law says

Regulation 136 requires that at all times children are being educated and cared for, the following people are in attendance and immediately available:

• at least one educator with a current first aid qualification approved by ACECQA;
• at least one educator with current anaphylaxis management training; and
• at least one educator with current emergency asthma management training.

One person can hold all three. In family day care, the educator themselves must hold all of them — there's no one else to rely on.

The qualification that covers it: HLTAID012

HLTAID012 — Provide First Aid in an Education and Care Setting is the unit written specifically for this sector, and it's on ACECQA's approved list. It covers everything in the standard first aid certificate plus the paediatric-specific content: infant and child CPR, asthma emergencies and inhaler/spacer use, anaphylaxis and adrenaline auto-injectors, febrile convulsions, and the incident-reporting obligations unique to education and care services. One certificate ticks the first aid, asthma and anaphylaxis boxes in a single course.

How often does it need renewing?

The qualification is generally renewed every 3 years, but the CPR component should be refreshed every 12 months — that's the industry standard set by the Australian Resuscitation Council and what assessors expect to see. Many Central Coast services book their whole team's CPR refresher annually as a group.

Studying childcare? You'll need it before placement

If you're doing a Certificate III or Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care, most RTOs and placement providers require your first aid certificate before your first day of professional experience. Getting it done early avoids a last-minute scramble.

Getting certified in Erina

Our HLTAID012 Childcare First Aid course runs regularly at our Erina venue — 3.5 hours face-to-face after a short online component, $115, certificate issued the same day. Educators who only need the CPR refresh can book HLTAID009 for $45.