Published: 1st September 2020.
Written by Jodie Magrath
A Certificate IV in Community Services is a great way to start a career helping people in our community. This qualification is suitable for people who want to assist others to access the services they need to help them in a difficult time. You might provide advice, counselling or guidance and work with other community service providers to create a plan for assistance. You might specialise in areas such as mental health, suicide prevention, bereavement support, domestic violence support or issues like gambling or substance abuse.
The Certificate IV in Community Services covers a range of topics to help you succeed in your chosen career. You’ll learn about individual rights so you can help clients to understand their situation. You’ll learn to assess the various needs of people in our community and find out how you can direct them to available support services. You’ll be introduced to the legal and ethical responsibilities of working in community services and be able to specialise in areas that interest you. This course involves a work placement so you’ll get some real world experience in your chosen field.
Working in community services is a great job choice for those who enjoy helping others. If you find it rewarding to offer support, this might be an excellent career pathway for you. People working in community services need strong communication and listening skills and need to be able to work with people from all backgrounds. You’ll need to be empathetic and have a thorough understanding of the support available in our community.
A Certificate IV in Community Services is an ideal course of study for the following careers:
Youth Support Worker
A Youth Support Worker supports young people who are going through a tough time. They might work individually with children or teenagers or provide help in a group setting. Youth Support Workers provide emotional support through counselling and also give practical advice and help to access other support providers. The young people they work with might be facing issues such as unemployment, homelessness, substance abuse or relationship problems.
Social Worker
Social Workers provide emotional and practical support to people facing challenges in their life. They may support people through a time of crisis such as domestic violence, sexual assault or a traumatic life event. A Social Worker might meet with individuals or families to make sure they are safe and provide counselling or guidance. They can refer people to other necessary support like housing providers, family therapy or specialist counselling services.
Community Corrections Officer
Community Corrections Officers work with people either in custody or who have recently been released from custody. They may support offenders with getting back to community life through counselling or practical advice. Community Corrections Officers help people to access other community support like housing services or rehabilitation therapies. They might also prepare reports for government agencies or help offenders to comply with parole conditions.
Higher education pathways
A Certificate IV in Community Services is an excellent way to begin your career in community support. You might choose to continue your studies with a Diploma of Community Services where you can specialise in an area such as social housing or child, youth and family welfare. There are also other certificate level courses which might increase your skills and knowledge such as the Certificate IV in Mental Health or the Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs.
If you decide to further your career in community services you could enrol in a university degree such as a Bachelor of Social Work or a Bachelor of Human Services. This will expand your knowledge and broaden your career opportunities. A university degree may allow you to take on a community services position with more responsibility. You may be able to use a Certificate IV in Community Services as a pathway to these courses.
Getting started
If you’re thinking about enrolling in a Certificate IV in Community Services, start by requesting information from different course providers. Make sure you find out about the duration of the course, costs, any prerequisites and the content the course will cover. There might be some variation between course providers, so getting all the details will make it easier to compare and find the right course for you. The Certificate IV in Community Services may be offered online or on campus. It usually takes 12 months to complete but course providers may vary in their delivery.