Glossary

Care sector glossary

Plain-English definitions of the checks, credentials, regulators and acronyms used across Aged Care, Disability and Childcare in Australia.

A

Aged Care Act 2024The legislation that reset Aged Care provider obligations, including worker screening, from 1 November 2025.Aged Care Quality and Safety CommissionThe national regulator for Aged Care providers, the Code of Conduct for Aged Care, and banning orders.Allied Health AssistantA worker supporting allied health professionals across Aged Care and disability.Allied Health ProfessionalA registered health practitioner such as a physiotherapist, occupational therapist or podiatrist; AHPRA registered.Assistant in Nursing (AIN)An Aged Care and health support role working under nursing supervision; no AHPRA registration required.Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)The national authority administering the childcare National Quality Framework and the worker register.Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)The body that registers health practitioners; registration is verified at source but is not a worker-screening clearance.Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)The national framework that ranks qualifications from certificates to degrees; used to assess overseas equivalence.

B

Behaviour Support PractitionerAn NDIS worker who designs and reviews behaviour support plans; must be considered suitable by the NDIS Commission.Blue CardThe Queensland working-with-children clearance, which can be combined with an NDIS check in one application.

C

Care ManagerCoordinates a person's care and services; the role's clinical requirements depend on the setting.Certificate III in Individual SupportThe baseline vocational qualification for Aged Care and disability support work.Certificate IV in Ageing SupportA senior Aged Care qualification enabling team-leader and coordination roles.Child safety trainingMandatory training for childcare staff on protecting children, being rolled out across states from 2026.Clinical Governance LeadA senior role responsible for the safety and quality of clinical care, generally held by a registered practitioner.Code of Conduct for Aged CareThe expected behaviours for Aged Care workers and providers, enforceable through banning orders.Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP)Entry-level subsidised Aged Care support delivered in the home.Continuous monitoringOngoing checking of a worker’s status so a clearance can be reassessed if new information arises; built into NDIS screening and many WWCCs.CPR (HLTAID009)Cardiopulmonary resuscitation training; the Australian Resuscitation Council recommends refreshing it every 12 months, and care employers require it annually, separately from a first aid certificate.

D

Disability Support WorkerA worker delivering NDIS-funded daily-living and community support.Document Verification Service (DVS)The federal system used to verify identity documents against the issuing agency.Duty of careThe legal obligation to take reasonable care to avoid foreseeable harm to the people you support.

E

Early Childhood Teacher (ECT)A degree-qualified teacher delivering early childhood education under the NQF.Enrolled Nurse (EN)A diploma-qualified, AHPRA-registered nurse who works under registered nurse supervision.

F

Family Day Care (FDC)Education and care delivered from an educator’s own home; every adult residing there needs a Working With Children Check.First Aid (HLTAID011 and HLTAID012)Training to give a first aid response; the certificate lasts three years, but the CPR component must be renewed every 12 months.

H

Home Care Package (HCP)Subsidised, coordinated Aged Care support at home for higher needs, now transitioning to Support at Home.

I

Infection prevention and control (IPC)Training in preventing the spread of infection; standard mandatory training across care settings.

M

Manual handling trainingTraining in safe moving, transferring and lifting; common mandatory training for hands-on care roles.

N

National Early Childhood Worker Register (NECWR)The national register recording who works in education and care services, lodged in the ACECQA NQA IT System.National Police CheckA point-in-time national criminal-history check; in Aged Care it must be under three years old to be accepted.National Quality Framework (NQF)The system regulating early childhood education and care across Australia.National Quality Standard (NQS)The benchmark of quality areas that education and care services are assessed and rated against under the NQF.NDIS Code of ConductThe conduct rules binding NDIS workers and providers, enforceable by the NDIS Commission.NDIS Quality and Safeguards CommissionThe regulator overseeing NDIS provider registration, worker screening and conduct.NDIS Worker Orientation ModuleA free online module, Quality Safety and You, introducing the NDIS Code of Conduct; orientation, not a screening check.NDIS Worker Screening Check (NDISWC)A national clearance for NDIS risk-assessed roles, valid five years, with criminal-history screening built in.Nurse Practitioner (NP)An advanced-practice, AHPRA-endorsed nurse who can assess, diagnose and prescribe within their scope.

O

Ochre CardThe Northern Territory working-with-children clearance, valid two years.Outside School Hours Care (OSHC)Before-school, after-school and vacation care; no national qualification requirement, but full WWCC and child-safety obligations apply.

P

Person-centred careAn approach that puts a person's needs, preferences and dignity at the centre of their care.Personal Care WorkerA frontline Aged Care worker providing personal and daily-living support.Plan ManagerManages the funding in a participant's NDIS plan, paying providers on their behalf.

R

Register of Banned WorkersRegulator lists of people prohibited from care work, checked at source as part of screening and monitoring.Registered Nurse (RN)A degree-qualified, AHPRA-registered nurse.Registered Training Organisation (RTO)A provider authorised to deliver nationally recognised vocational qualifications.Responsible PersonA person in a position of authority over a provider, such as a director or CEO; subject to the same screening as workers under the Aged Care Act 2024.Restrictive practicesActions that restrict a person’s rights or freedom of movement; tightly regulated under the NDIS, requiring authorisation and trained staff.

S

SafeguardingThe practices and duties that protect children and vulnerable people from abuse, neglect and harm.SCHADS AwardThe Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award that sets minimum pay and conditions.Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)NDIS-funded specialist housing; about where a person lives, not the daily support they receive.Statutory DeclarationA signed legal statement sometimes required alongside screening, including for time lived overseas or a pending check.Strengthened Aged Care Quality StandardsThe revised Aged Care standards in effect from 1 November 2025 under the new Aged Care Act.Support at HomeThe Aged Care in-home program that replaced Home Care Packages and short-term restorative care from 1 November 2025.Support CoordinatorAn NDIS role that helps participants understand and use their plan.Supported Independent Living (SIL)NDIS funding for help with daily-living tasks in a shared or individual living arrangement.

V

Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO)The Department of Home Affairs service for checking a visa holder’s right to work in Australia.

W

Working With Children Check (WWCC)A state-issued clearance to work with children, verified against each state register, with a national police history check built in.

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