Both of our qualifications include a mandatory period of supervised work placement — 120 hours in a real workplace, with real clients. It is a requirement of the training package, not an ACHC add-on, and you cannot complete the qualification without it.
We arrange it
You do not have to find your own host. We match you with one of our partner services based on where you live, when you are available and the setting you want experience in. If a placement is not working out, tell us — we would rather move you than have you push through a bad match.
When it happens
Placement begins once you have completed your theory and simulation assessments. That sequencing is deliberate: you should have practised a skill in a controlled setting before you use it with someone who depends on it.
What you need in place first
- A satisfactory National Police Check
- A valid NDIS Worker Screening Check where the placement involves NDIS participants
- A Working with Children Check for your state or territory
- Immunisations required by the host service
Start these as soon as you enrol. Screening checks are processed by government agencies on their timeframes, not ours, and a delayed check is the single most common reason a student’s completion slips.
While you are there
You work alongside a buddy staff member under workplace supervision. You are there to learn, not to fill a roster gap — you should not be counted in staffing numbers or left unsupervised with clients. An ACHC trainer checks in on your progress and completes your placement assessments.
You are expected to follow the host service’s policies, keep client information confidential, present professionally and turn up when rostered. If something happens on placement that concerns you — anything at all — contact your ACHC trainer straight away.
The full arrangements, including insurance and both parties’ obligations, are in the Work Placement Policy on Our Policies.