Accredited Childcare First Aid Training on the Northern Beaches, Sydney.
CHILDCARE workers with fraudulent first aid certificates are risking kids’ lives, the childcare watchdog has warned the federal government.
The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) has blown the whistle on dodgy training colleges for handing out qualifications to incompetent students.
It says state childcare regulators have expressed fears that some childcare workers with first aid certificates have no idea of what to do in a medical emergency.
All staff in family daycare, and at least one carer in each long daycare centre, must be trained in first aid, anaphylaxis and asthma management.
“A situation where a student has completed one qualification and is incorrectly deemed competent, could present a serious and significant risk to children being educated and cared for,’’ ACECQA warns in a submission to the Department of Education and Training.
“A … failure of graduates to properly administer first aid to children in their care in times of emergency carries a high risk to children and could have life-threatening consequences.’’
ACECQA also criticises the poor English skills of some childcare workers and calls for mandatory literacy tests before students graduate.
It says childcare centres have complained about qualified staff who “do not possess the basic literacy skills expected of them’’.
The Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) of private daycare centres also demanded the federal Education Department to take “bold action’’ against training colleges that fail to properly train staff.
“The very nature of the industry evolves around very young and, as such, vulnerable children who are reliant on the competency and skills of their educators,’’ it said.
NSW Early Childhood Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the state government would “use the full extent of the law’’ to deal with dodgy childcare qualifications.
“Services and individuals that have submitted fraudulent documentation will be investigated and can be prosecuted,’’ she said.
Simple Instruction offers HLTAID004 Childcare First Aid Training and our regular HLTAID003 Provide First Aid and HLTAID001 Provide CPR training courses. All courses are accredited and meet the ACECQA standards. Book a course on the Northern Beaches at the Dee Why RSL (DYRSL).
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/kids-lives-at-risk-in-childcare-first-aid-fail/news-story/6d82e16b2691e177db008e7de5b1a061
