First aid and CPR for care workers: requirements and renewal

First aid and CPR are among the most common credentials in care, and also among the most commonly let lapse. The reason is a quirk most workers do not realise until it catches them out: a first aid certificate and its CPR component expire on different schedules. This guide explains the rules and how to stay on top of them.

Two clocks, not one

A standard Provide First Aid certificate (HLTAID011) is generally valid for three years. But the CPR component (HLTAID009) must be renewed every 12 months.

That means a worker can hold a first aid certificate that is technically still within its three-year window while the CPR component inside it has already lapsed. To an employer checking compliance, that worker is no longer current.

What each sector expects

The base certificates are the same, but the context differs:

• Aged Care and disability: Provide First Aid (HLTAID011) plus current CPR (HLTAID009) is the common expectation for direct-care, lifestyle and support roles, and Koora asks for both even when the worker also holds AHPRA registration. Registered nurse, enrolled nurse, nurse practitioner and allied health roles already require AHPRA registration, so Koora does not ask them for a separate first aid certificate. AHPRA does not certify first aid, and your employer may still ask for one.
• Childcare: education and care settings generally require HLTAID012, Provide First Aid in an education and care setting, which covers child-specific scenarios such as anaphylaxis and asthma emergencies. The annual CPR renewal still applies.

Always check the specific requirement for your role and setting, as employers and regulators can require more.

Reviewed, not verified

A first aid or CPR certificate is a training record. The compliance engine checks it against the requirements for the worker's roles. A person reviews the certificate itself, confirming it is genuine, current and matches the worker, once the worker shares their passport or a provider requests access, or across an organisation's own records through the Crew service. Neither step verifies the certificate against an authoritative register, which is the term we reserve for checks like AHPRA, public state Working With Children Check lookups (VIC, QLD, WA, TAS and the NT), or government ban registers. For the difference, see the worker screening and compliance pillar.

The expiry trap, and how to avoid it

The annual CPR clock is where compliance most often slips. A certificate that looked fine at hire can have an expired CPR component a year later, and nobody notices until an audit or an incident.

For workers, the fix is to track the CPR date separately and book a refresher before it lapses. For providers, tracking two dates per worker across a whole team by hand is exactly where spreadsheets fail. Koora tracks both the first aid and CPR expiry dates on each worker's Career Passport and flags them before they lapse, so a current-looking certificate with stale CPR does not slip through. The provider still holds the responsibility to check and act on the credential; Koora makes the expiry impossible to miss. See worker compliance tracking for providers for the wider picture.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a first aid certificate last?

A Provide First Aid certificate (HLTAID011) is generally valid for three years. However, the CPR component must be refreshed every 12 months, so your first aid certificate effectively has two clocks running.

How often do I need to renew CPR?

CPR (HLTAID009) should be renewed every 12 months. Skills and confidence in CPR decay quickly, which is why annual refreshers are the standard expectation across the care sector.

Which first aid certificate do childcare workers need?

Early childhood education and care settings generally require HLTAID012, Provide First Aid in an education and care setting, which includes content specific to working with children. The annual CPR renewal still applies.