First Aid qualifications
The Secretary for Education has been given powers to act to mitigate some practical effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on situations where there may be difficulties complying with regulatory requirements because of the restrictions in place over this time.
In recognition of the difficulty in accessing first aid refresher training courses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretary has exercised this power to allow a recently expired first aid certificate to be considered current/valid for the purposes of first aid requirements in the licensing criteria (HS25 for centre-based services and kōhanga reo; HS 22 for home-based services).
This extended recognition applies to first aid certificates that expired on or after 1 August 2021 and is in force for 3 months (1 December 2021).
Service providers do not need to contact the Ministry for approval to access this exemption, however they must attest in writing to the current first aid knowledge of these staff and retain this documentation.
For home-based services there is already leeway of 4 months for new educators to gain a first aid qualification if access to first aid training is limited due to circumstances beyond the service provider’s control. The service provider must also ensure that staff have knowledge of first aid and keep a record of the actions taken by the service provider.
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