Support workers play a pivotal role in several sectors, including childcare, aged care, rehabilitation and disability support. However, with best practices regularly shifting, it’s critical to ensure that you focus on continuous professional development and regular training. Enrolling in support worker courses enhances skills and keeps you updated on developments in your field while ensuring you can provide optimal care.
With this in mind, we’ve put together 20 of the top free Cloud Assess courses for support workers. These resources cover different sectors and needs to ensure that support workers have the tools and skills they need to succeed and advance their careers.
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Access our comprehensive library of free courses today1. Risk Assessments In A Care Setting Course
Risk assessments play a critical role in aged care environments. By identifying risks, you can help to mitigate them effectively and enhance the safety and quality of life for residents of care facilities.
This course is designed to equip you with the skills you’ll need to take a proactive approach to risk management. It includes steps for identifying hazards, prioritising safety, and developing plans for reducing and mitigating risk in an aged care setting.
Scope:
- Understand the definition and purpose of risk assessment in aged care.
- Common risks and challenges in aged care settings.
- The importance and benefits of conducting proactive risk assessments in compliance with regulations.
- The importance of documentation, communication and workplace policy reviews
Cost: Free
2. Hazard Reporting in a Care Setting Course
Hazards in aged care settings take various forms. Identifying and reporting them helps to ensure the protection of residents, staff and visitors.
This course will help you learn the regulations and legal requirements for recognising and reporting incidents. It focuses on safety policies, new equipment considerations and identifying and handling specific risks like allergies.
Scope:
- The role of hazard reporting in aged care.
- The consequences of not reporting hazards.
- Identifying common and specific hazards in aged care settings.
- Understanding the hierarchy, channels and processes for submitting hazard reports.
Cost: Free
3. Identifying Children and Young People at Risk Course
One of the biggest challenges of working with children is recognising when they are in unsafe home environments. Support workers in childcare must be able to identify verbal and nonverbal cues and recognise when intervention may be needed.
This course will help you recognise signs of harm in children and young people, and guide you on the steps to take. It includes guidelines for effective communication techniques, processes for documenting and reporting sensitive information, and tools for fostering a safe environment.
Scope:
- Signs and indicators of potential harm or abuse in children and young people.
- Ethical collection and documentation of information in line with legal obligations.
- Techniques for communicating effectively with children based on their age and developmental stage.
- Strategies for supporting and protecting at-risk children and young people.
Cost: Free
4. Plan Daily Living Skills Program Course
Daily living skills programs help to provide structure to the lives of people living with disabilities or going through rehabilitation. They promote independence and improve quality of life.
This free course provides support workers with the tools and knowledge to develop and implement personalised care plans. It will help you to identify necessary safety measures and navigate cultural sensitivities while fostering open communication and promoting self-confidence in your patients.
Scope:
- Tools for gathering information on a patient’s functional status and performance.
- How to identify program requirements and communicate them to healthcare professionals.
- Assessing the impact of daily living skills programs.
- Identify and address cultural and spiritual sensitivities to enhance patient engagement.
Cost: Free
5. Development of a Rehabilitation Program Course
Client-centred rehabilitation plans that are based on patients’ unique skills and abilities are the cornerstone of modern rehabilitative care.
In this free support worker course, you will learn how to assess patient skills and set functional independence goals. Backed by the latest rehabilitation research and trends, the course focuses on helping support workers develop and execute comprehensive plans that incorporate the latest best practices.
Scope:
- How to tailor rehabilitation plans to patient skills and abilities.
- Developing strategic, specific and measurable patient-centred goals that meet short and long-term needs.
- Enhancing motivation and outcomes by leveraging patient strengths in the rehabilitation process.
- Assessing the effectiveness of rehabilitation activities and methods.
Cost: Free
6. Complete Documentation for Dementia Care Course
Maintaining proper documentation is crucial to caring for those with dementia. It ensures that all parties are informed and up to date with changing needs and can adapt care plans as needed.
This comprehensive course looks at the importance and types of documentation that need to be maintained in dementia care. It also addresses legal and ethical considerations that guide documentation practices and will help you to observe and record behavioural changes as a support worker.
Scope:
- Importance and types of documentation for dementia care.
- Identifying and recording behavioural changes.
- Effective reporting and communication of observations.
- Legal requirements and ethical considerations in documentation and reporting on dementia patients.
Cost: Free
7. Deliver Speech Pathology Program Course
Communication and swallowing disorders can significantly impact communication, interaction with others, and daily activities. Recognising and addressing speech, language and swallowing difficulties can enhance a patient’s quality of life.
This course provides support workers with the skills and practical strategies they need to effectively deliver speech pathology programs, with a particular focus on paediatric speech therapy. It includes techniques for performing therapy activities, tailoring treatment plans to patient needs, and reinforcing learning by encouraging patients to practise newly learned skills.
Scope:
- Ensuring patient consent.
- Confirm therapy outcomes to align expectations and goals.
- Adapting speech pathology program to various ages and communication abilities.
- Strategies for encouraging patients to incorporate new skills in daily lives.
- Maintaining patient safety and comfort when handling adverse reactions to speech pathology programs.
Cost: Free
8. Advocate Patient’s Independence and Participation Course
Independence advocacy goes beyond medical treatment and champions autonomy and active community participation.
This course provides support workers with the skills to craft personalised rehabilitation strategies and ensure that person-centred care is a practised reality. You’ll learn how to identify comprehensive support services including physiotherapy and mental health counselling. The course also looks at collaboration between support workers and healthcare professionals to ensure a balanced rehabilitation journey.
Scope:
- How to ensure comprehensive care through support services.
- Creating strategies for supporting patient progression based on individual needs.
- The importance of promoting daily living activities and community participation.
- How to identify and address concerns to provide consistent and coordinated support.
Cost: Free
9. Monitor Impact of Independence on Rehab
The previous course in this list focused on support workers’ roles in advocating for patient independence and community involvement. However, it’s also critical to consider the impact that independence has on rehabilitation itself.
In this course, support workers and healthcare professionals will learn essential skills for monitoring outcomes and engaging patients in self-monitoring techniques. It emphasises the importance of feedback and patients’ active engagement in their recovery process. The course will also help you to evaluate and adapt training sessions based on patients’ unique requirements.
Scope:
- How to assess and track the progress of independence.
- Identify and report adverse effects and challenges.
- Monitor and evaluate changes in health and physical status.
- Empower patients to self-monitor and evaluate their progress.
- How to provide constructive feedback that motivates patients.
Cost: Free
10. Reporting and Documentation for Aged Care Workers Course
Accurate documentation and reporting are crucial to providing quality care when working with the elderly. Any inaccuracies or omissions can directly impact the quality of life for aged care residents, affecting treatment and medication.
This support worker course provides guidelines for upholding the highest standards in reporting, documentation and cleanliness in aged care facilities. It focuses on confidentiality, handling sensitive information responsibly and ethically, and standards for effective reporting and timely communication.
Scope:
- Understanding confidentiality and privacy
- Effective reporting on observations and concerns in compliance with organisational guidelines.
- How to maintain and store documentation in line with legal requirements.
- Creating and following cleaning schedules that address cross-contamination risks.
Cost: Free
11. Supervising Children Course
Children of different ages require different levels of supervision. Understanding the unique needs of age groups and the inherent risks in various activities can help child support workers maintain the right level of supervision. This ensures children can get the support they need to develop and enhance their mental and physical well-being
This course provides support workers with fundamental skills to effectively supervise children. It includes guidelines to navigate safety requirements, adhere to regulations, and implement service policies for young people’s well-being.
Scope:
- The role of child supervision in ensuring safety and positive development.
- Legal and ethical obligations for creating a safe and supportive child environment.
- How to adjust levels of supervision based on age, abilities and group dynamics.
- Strategies for effective communication with children of different ages.
Cost: Free
12. Positive Behaviour Support for People with Disabilities Course
Working with individuals with disabilities can often be challenging. This is especially true when trying to empathetically and ethically support individuals demonstrating challenging behaviours.
This Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) course provides guidelines to identify and address the cause of challenging behaviours while maintaining individuals’ dignity and autonomy. It provides techniques for implementing and monitoring effective support strategies, responding appropriately to critical incidents, and collaborating with supervisors and healthcare professionals.
Scope:
- Recognising and understanding concerning behaviours.
- Effective consultation techniques for establishing appropriate interventions and addressing ethical considerations.
- Implementing behavioural support strategies in line with organisational policies.
- How to respond to critical incidents while prioritising the safety of disabled individuals.
- Recognising and reporting changes in the needs and behaviours of individuals.
Cost: Free
13. Deliver Prescribed Physical Therapy Program Course
Physical training programs that are customised to meet individual needs are an effective tool for making a positive and lasting impact on patients’ lives.
With this structured course, you’ll take a deep dive into customised physical training and manual therapy techniques, prescription compliance, and mobility enhancement strategies. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to plan, assess, adopt and optimise physical therapy treatment in a safe and supportive environment.
Scope:
- How to ensure patients understand and consent to physical therapy programs.
- Work Health and Safety (WHS) requirements for maintaining a safe therapy environment.
- Techniques for guiding and motivating patients in physical therapy.
- Monitoring patient activities to identify signs of distress and provide constructive feedback.
Cost: Free
14. Manual Handling Aged Care Course
Manual handling is critical for support workers in aged care environments. Learning the right techniques to lift, carry, push and pull objects can help in effective mobility and personal care.
This course is designed with aged care professionals in mind, though it can also be applied to any workplace setting where manual handling training is required. In addition to operational regulations, the course covers the importance of safety measures and the use of transfer aids and mobility equipment to reduce the risk of injury.
Scope:
- Basics of manual handling.
- Understanding manual handling tasks in aged care facilities.
- How to identify musculoskeletal disorders including sprains, strains, back injury and chronic pain.
- Common lifting techniques that ensure the safety and comfort of caregivers and aged care patients.
Cost: Free
15. Promoting Physical Activity to Children Course
Physical activity plays a critical role in promoting health, physical development and social skills in children. Starting these activities early can ensure that babies, toddlers and children develop healthy habits and make exercise a fun part of their daily routine.
This free course has been designed for childcare professionals, parents and educators to foster fitness and well-being in children of all ages. It emphasises the importance of role models in creating a supportive play and learning environment and provides insights to tailor activities for different developmental stages.
Scope:
- The importance of physical activity in establishing lifelong healthy habits.
- How to encourage children to participate in movement and physical exercises.
- Creating environments and routines that promote physical activity.
- How to discuss the working of bodies and the significance of physical activity with children.
Cost: Free
16. Safe Food Preparation in Aged Care Settings Course
Food safety is a critical consideration in any environment where carers are responsible for preparing meals. However, it is especially important in aged care facilities where residents may have medical conditions or health complications that can impact food preparation.
This course equips support workers with food safety knowledge and skills. It includes guidelines for personal hygiene and cleanliness, food storage and handling techniques, temperature control, and methods for maintaining food quality and managing dietary restrictions.
Scope:
- The role of personal hygiene and cleanliness in preventing food contamination.
- Best practices for food storage and handling.
- Effective kitchen cleanliness and sanitation practices.
- Identifying, preventing and communicating allergen risks.
- Food safety standards and regulations.
Cost: Free
17. Food Safety for Disability Support Workers Course
In the same way that careful food preparation practices are essential when caring for individuals with disabilities. Allergens, diary restrictions and specific disabilities like swallowing conditions need to be taken into account to meet food safety requirements.
This course provides guidelines for menu planning, recognising and effectively responding to allergic reactions in disabled individuals. It also looks at the importance of personal hygiene and safe food handling practices.
Scope:
- Importance of physical hygiene in maintaining food safety for individuals with disabilities.
- Safe food handling and storage techniques.
- Identifying, managing and communicating food allergies and dietary requirements.
- Reducing the risk of cross-contamination and food spoilage.
Cost: Free
18. Comply with Supervisory Requirements for Rehabilitation Course
Supervisory requirements are there to ensure the safety of rehabilitation patients and to enhance their quality of care. Having a thorough understanding of the regulations that apply to rehabilitation ensures that you can contribute effectively to your patients’ success. It will also help you recognise when and how to seek assistance for any challenges that are beyond your abilities.
This comprehensive course is designed to help supervisors navigate the complexities of rehabilitative care, including documentation, optimising outcomes and understanding compliance requirements.
Scope:
- Identify and document rehabilitation challenges on a patient-by-patient basis.
- Effectively communicate with patients about their therapy and address any confusion or concerns that they might have.
- Recognise when and how to seek assistance from healthcare professionals.
- How to document therapy outcomes in line with organisational standards.
Cost: Free
19. Modelling Cultural Safety in Aged Care Work Course
Aged care facilities accommodate people from many cultures and backgrounds. Support workers in these environments need to understand and respect cultural diversity to offer effective and person-centred care.
In this free course, support workers will learn the principles of cultural safety and how to apply them for effective communication. This will help you recognise and address cultural biases, build trust with residents, and create an inclusive environment that centres on respect and dignity.
Scope:
- Understanding cultural diversity
- Principles of cultural safety and how to implement them
- Effective and respectful communication
- How to build trust with residents
- How to create inclusive environments
Cost: Free
20. Assist Patients of Varying Abilities in Physical Therapy Course
Physical therapy is a crucial aspect of any rehabilitation strategy. Assisting patients with physical therapy according to their unique challenges and abilities can help you make the journey towards recovery as smooth as possible.
This free course looks at various strategies for supporting patients’ physical therapy. It covers the use of supportive aids, how to position patients correctly and effectively, and how to respond to adverse reactions to treatment. With a focus on patient care, safety and education, you’ll gain the skills you need to become a crucial contributor towards the therapeutic process.
Scope:
- How to integrate physical therapy into daily routines.
- Using gait aids safely and effectively.
- How to monitor and adjust treatment plans to individual patient needs.
- Fostering an open and supportive environment through open communication with patients.
Cost: Free
Other Courses for Support Workers
If you’re looking for more courses related to support work in aged care and healthcare, check out more of our curated lists:
- 10 Best Free Courses for Those Working in Aged Care and Healthcare
- Top 10 Free NDIS Courses For Healthcare Workers
- 10 Healthcare Safety Courses
- 10 Best Food Health Courses
