First aid qualifications & training

The National Regulations outline the mandatory requirements for services in relation to first aid qualifications, anaphylaxis management training and emergency asthma management training.

Below is a summary of the different requirements for:

Centre-based services - regulation 136(1)

The approved provider of a centre-based service must ensure that the following qualified people are in attendance at all times at any place children are being educated and cared for by the service and immediately available in an emergency:

at least one staff member or one nominated supervisor of the service who holds a current approved first aid qualification
at least one staff member or one nominated supervisor of the service who has undertaken current approved anaphylaxis management training
at least one staff member or one nominated supervisor of the service who has undertaken current approved emergency asthma management training.

Services must have staff with current approved qualifications on duty at all times and immediately available in an emergency. One staff member may hold one or more of the qualifications.

School based services - regulation 136(2)

If children are being educated and cared for at service premises on the site of a school, the following qualified staff must be in attendance at the school site and immediately available in an emergency:

at least one staff member or one nominated supervisor of the service who holds a current approved first aid qualification
at least one staff member or one nominated supervisor of the service who has undertaken current approved anaphylaxis management training
at least one staff member or one nominated supervisor of the service who has undertaken current approved emergency asthma management training.

One staff member may hold one or more of the qualifications.

Family day care services - regulation 136(3)

The approved provider of a family day care service must ensure that each family day care educator and family day care educator assistant engaged by or registered with the service:

holds a current approved first aid qualification
has undertaken current approved anaphylaxis management training
has undertaken current approved emergency asthma management training.

Each family day care educator and educator assistant must hold all three qualifications.

Further information on first aid qualifications, anaphylaxis management training and asthma management training can be found in regulation 136 Part 4.4.

Approved first aid qualifications list

Under the Education and Care Services National Regulations, ACECQA must publish a list of approved first aid qualifications, anaphylaxis management training and emergency asthma management training. The 'qualifications' on the list are either national or state accredited units of competency, or short courses. If you have completed training and want to know if it is approved, you can search our list of approved qualifications. You will need to know the name of the training course and its code or other unique identifier. This information will appear on your certificate or transcript.

Note for registered training organisations: Registered training organisations do not need to apply for additional 'approved provider' status with ACECQA, nor do they require separate approval for specific courses. If you are a training provider wanting to add a qualification to the list, apply to ACECQA.

First aid qualification renewal

The industry standard is that first aid qualifications, anaphylaxis management training and emergency asthma management training should be renewed every three years and refresher training in CPR should be undertaken annually.

The Safe Work Australia First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice recommends that persons required to maintain first aid qualifications should attend training on a regular basis to refresh their first aid knowledge and skills, and to confirm their competence to provide first aid.

From 1 October 2023, changes to the National Regulations will prescribe currency periods for first aid qualifications.

The following qualifications are taken to be current if the qualification was attained or the training was undertaken within the previous three years:

Approved first aid qualifications (except in the case of emergency life support training and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation training, which must be completed within the previous year to be taken as current)
Approved anaphylaxis management training
Approved emergency asthma management training

The certificate should state the date when the person completed the course and may also include information on recommendations for refresher training. The certificate may include multiple units of competency; however, currency periods apply to each individual unit of competency.

Approved providers have until 1 April 2024 to undertake any necessary training to ensure first aid qualifications and anaphylaxis and asthma management training are current, as per the above timeframes.

Please contact your training provider to check any information about your training and speak to your employer to confirm your workplace requirements.