In Home Care is child care in a family’s own home. In Home Care educators are dedicated child care providers. Their role is to provide children with a variety of age appropriate, play-based activities that encourage each child’s development, learning and life skills. If an educator has children under-school age in their care, they will be required to work with the Early Years Learning Framework.
Being an In Home Care educator can be a unique and rewarding experience. An educator can play an important role in the lives of families with unique child care needs and improve their quality of life.
How do I become an educator?
To become an In Home Care educator, you will have to possess the necessary qualifications and be registered with an approved In Home Care Provider.
What are the requirements?
In Home Care educators are required to have the following minimum qualifications:
- minimum Certificate III level qualification in a relevant course or be working towards a Certificate III qualification and provide documentary evidence.
- a Certificate III, a diploma or a degree in Early Childhood Education or equivalent qualifications that have a major focus on Early Childhood Education are acceptable qualifications.
- the primary school teaching qualifications of educators are also deemed as acceptable qualifications
- if you work in a rural or remote area and have difficulty meeting the qualification requirements, transitional provisions until 31 December 2023 will apply.
You must also be:
- at least 18 years old
- an Australian resident, permanent citizen or have the relevant visa to allow employment on a continuous basis for 12 months or more
- engaged by an approved In-Home Care service
- holding a current working with children check
- undertake a police check
- hold an approved first aid, emergency asthma and anaphylaxis qualifications.
What do we do for IHC educators?
The IHC Support Agency:
- provides professional development resources to help IHC educators provide education and care in the family home and work with families with complex needs
- can provide guidance on educational and professional development opportunities for IHC educators.
Resources
Online training and Webinars
Programming for IHC Educators
Programming for Complex Needs
Educator Wellbeing
Guiding Children’s Behaviour
Supporting Autism
Being an IHC Educator
Supporting Educators
Creating engaging learning spaces for children in IHC
This resource created specially for In Home Care Educators by the In Home Care Support Agency is about creating great learning spaces for children in their family’s home.
Boundary setting for In Home Care Educators
This resource created specially for In Home Care Educators by the In Home Care Support Agency is about how and why In Home Care Educators need to set professional boundaries for themselves whilst being an educator in a family’s home.
Safe Transportation for In Home Care Educators
This resource created specially for In Home Care Educators by the In Home Care Support Agency, is about best practice before, during and after the transportation of children while in In Home Care.
Managing relationships in In Home Care
This resource created specially for In Home Care Educators by the In Home Care Support Agency is about managing your relationships and the educational partnership between yourself, families and service providers.
Staying Safe at work in the IHC context
This resource created specially for In Home Care Educators by the In Home Care Support Agency is about your rights at work and ensuring your safety.
Safe Sleep for In Home Care Educators
This resource created specially for In Home Care Educators by the In Home Care Support Agency is about ensuring you are following best practices for children’s sleeping arrangements.
Guidelines
In Home Care Guidelines
In Home Care Handbook
ECA COE Brochure 2016
This is the code of Ethics that all educators (including In Home educators) must follow.
Curriculum
Framework for School Aged Care
This is V2.0 of Australia’s national framework for school aged care. The aim of My Time, Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia (the Framework) is to assist educators in providing children and young people with opportunities to maximise their potential and develop a foundation for successful lifelong learning.
The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia
This is V2.0 of Australia’s national Early Years Learning Framework. The aim of Belonging Being and Becoming: The Early Years Framework for Australia is to support early childhood providers, teachers and educators to extend and enrich children’s learning from birth to 5 years and through the transition to school.
Additional needs
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a broad term to describe the range of neurodevelopmental disorders on the autism spectrum. ASD are complex disorders that are characterised by difficulties with social communication, noticeably limited interests and activities, and repetitive behaviours.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
A child’s ability to sustain attention and moderate their activity develops over time and with practice. Such skills are essential ingredients for schooling and social success.
Autism Inclusion at Kindergarten
This brochure is specifically focused on autism in a centre based setting but it provides lots of valuable advice about techniques that can be used when working with autistic children.
Behaviour
Guiding Children’s Behaviour
Developing an understanding of acceptable behaviour and being able to manage their own behaviour (self-regulation) are important aspects of a child’s social and emotional development. Children’s services staff play a key role in this process through guiding children’s behaviour.
Identifying Emotional and Behavioural Problems
Most young children display behaviours that would not be socially acceptable in older children, or could cause personal and interpersonal problems if they persisted into adolescence and adulthood. Examples include tantrums, unfounded fears and overly anxious behaviour, aggressive behaviour such as hitting or biting, disruptive behaviour and defiance.
Keeping a balance: Managing feelings and behaviours
This brochure is specifically focused on autism in a centre based setting but it provides lots of valuable advice about techniques that can be used when working with autistic children.
Social and Emotional Development
Social and emotional development is the process of learning key social and emotional skills. Development is affected both by biological factors (as children grow and mature) and by environmental factors (such as relationships and their care situation).
Complex circumstances
Complex Circumstances – Trauma & Grief
When times get tough
Often people think trauma is an unusual event that happens to only a few unlucky people. However many people are affected by trauma to some degree during their life.
Managing trauma and ways to recover
People casually talk about ‘being traumatised’ by missing their favourite television show or by misplacing their car keys. Although these events can be upsetting, the definition of trauma is much more than a minor upset or being distressed for a short period of time.
Managing tough times
There are a number of ways parents, carers and staff can respond to help children recover from a traumatic event.
Getting through tough times
This resource contains further information on what families and staff can do to support children who are affected by trauma.
Trauma, Loss and Grief
Trauma occurs when someone has had a distressing or overwhelming experience, with intense pain, stress, fear, or helplessness. It can result from a single event or repeated experiences, e.g. injury, medical procedures, child abuse, violence, rape, torture, war, terrorism, natural disaster.
When someone dies: helping children cope
When someone dies, your child might have strong feelings – sadness, despair, anger, confusion and anxiety. These feelings are normal. You can help your child by providing a safe and supportive environment as your child learns to deal with feelings about death.
Complex Circumstances – Mental Illness
Attachment and Mental Health
Babies and young children rely on adults to meet all their needs for food, safety, physical care, social interaction and emotional security. Babies have an instinct to reach out and build a connection with their parent or carer, which helps to ensure their safety and survival.
Child Abuse and Mental Health
Child abuse or neglect is the harmful mistreatment of a child. This handout summarises the potential impacts of child abuse or neglect on a person’s mental health and wellbeing.
Children of Parents with Mental Illness
Twenty to 25 % of Australian children live in a household where a parent has a mental illness. The term mental illness includes many different disorders that can have an impact on a person’s thoughts, feelings, relationships or behaviour.
Helping children with mental health
The early childhood years are a critical period for children’s wellbeing and mental health. Early childhood mental health is about young children’s social, emotional and behavioural wellbeing.
Safe and Supportive Environments
To promote the best possible learning and developmental outcomes for babies and young children, it is important that we strive to provide safe and supportive environments for them in the early years of life.
Resources for educators during COVID-19
Looking after children
Read this book to the children you care for
Or this one
Online activities to engage children
Check out these learning resources
Psychological first aid for children
Looking after yourself
Read this webpage
Infection control online training for educators
Listen to this podcast
The In Home Care Program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we sit, The Wangal and Gadigal People of the Eora Nation.
We acknowledge their ongoing connection to land, sea, sky and waterways and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
We acknowledge the First Nations People have been caring and educating the children of this land for tens of thousands of years