Graduate Certificate in Community Services
Duration: 1 semester
Intake: February and July
Delivery: Blended
Credit points: 24
CRICOS CODE: 115560A
Available to: Domestic and international
IELTS: 6.5 with no band less than 6.0
AQF: Level 8
Tuition Fee: International students: $10,000
Enquiry form
Course overview
The Graduate Certificate in Community Services (GCCS) is the first course in community services to be offered at postgraduate level in Australia. It is an entry qualification into community services professions. The course is provisionally accredited by Community Work Australia, (formerly known as the Australian Community Workers Association, or ACWA) the national peak body and professional association for community work practitioners. The GCCS is an academic and practice-based course that promotes wellbeing for people of all ages, with a focus on youth. This course aims to produce graduates who are professionally competent and aware of social needs, including client vulnerability and disadvantage, through their understanding of the welfare, youth and human services sectors. Students will also need to display self-awareness. For this purpose, all students in the GCCS program undertake personal counselling (included in the course costs) throughout the course. The course provides students with experiences of both face-to-face and online classes, as well as intensive interaction with fellow students and experienced lecturers and tutors. The learning will be delivered through lectures/seminars; workshops; case studies; in-class exercises; experiential learning strategies; written reports; oral presentations; essays; and research reports.
Where this will take me
Graduate Certificate in Community Services graduates may practise in a wide range of community settings, including community development and care services, volunteer programs, residential facilities, correctional facilities, group homes, community agencies and government departments. Some careers you could consider include:
Community services case manager or coordinator
Often employed by community health centres, non-profit organisations, and government social services departments, these professionals advocate for their clients’ rights, ensuring they receive comprehensive support and guidance.
Aboriginal community care worker
Employed by Aboriginal health services, community-controlled organisations, and government agencies focused on Indigenous affairs, these workers play a vital role in bridging cultural gaps and improving health outcomes through community-focused initiatives.
Welfare support worker
Employed by government welfare departments, social service agencies, and community organisations, these professionals work tirelessly to empower clients, address social inequalities, and promote sustainable livelihoods through access to welfare resources.
Care coordinator
Employed in hospitals, community health centres, residential aged care facilities, and disability support services, care coordinators play a crucial role in enhancing the quality of life and independence of their clients through comprehensive care management.
Youth worker
Found in youth centres, schools, community outreach programs, and residential facilities for youth, these professionals work collaboratively with young people, families, and community stakeholders to promote wellbeing and social inclusion among the youth population.
Mental health worker
Employed in mental health clinics, hospitals, community health centres, and non-profit organisations, these professionals promote recovery, resilience, and improved mental wellbeing through compassionate care and therapeutic interventions.
Corrections officer
Employed in prisons, juvenile detention centres, community corrections facilities, and government correctional services, these officers play a crucial role in maintaining order, promoting rehabilitation, and contributing to public safety through effective corrections management.
Course program
Introduction to Counselling Skills
This unit aims to develop foundational levels of counselling competence, supported by key skills required for effective clinical practice. For example, students will be introduced to core concepts such as transference and counter-transference, which while originating in the psychodynamic psychotherapeutic domain, are now part of broader counselling discourse. In addition to acquiring the core skills, students will learn how the core skills find expression in a range of counselling modalities.
Social and Political Institutions in Australia
This unit introduces students to the key social and political institutions in Australia. While Australia was in essence ‘born’ a modern democracy, becoming a nation on 1 January 1901, it had both a long history of Aboriginal sovereignty and colonial invasion. Australia developed its social and political institutions within the framework of British traditions, laws, and perspectives. Australia also borrowed heavily from other democracies, particularly the USA. The unit will examine the formal political institutions that characterise Australia, focusing on the Australian Constitution, Parliament, the High Court, role of the Governor-General, Federal–State relations, etc. It will also focus on the social institutions that provide the basic framework for our wellbeing – education, health, housing, social security, employment, personal and community security.
Ethics Issues and Practice
In this unit, students learn how to ethically and responsibly manage this position, becoming conversant with all relevant regulatory codes and Australian legislative requirements that govern the health sector. They explore ethical principles in professional decision-making processes, reflect on the benefits of professional association membership, and are encouraged to be aware of and thoughtful about how their personal moral stance and ethical framework informs and influences their professional practice.
Approaches to Mental Health
Employing a biopsychosocial-spiritual framework and associated approaches, students learn about the aetiology, diagnostic presentation, assessment and evidence-based interventions for a range of mental health issues. They reflect on personal assumptions relating to mental illness, including the relationship between spirituality and mental illness, also considering how stress and vulnerability predispose some individuals to mental health episodes. Finally, they explore the role of social and family contexts in the onset of mental health disorders and their management.
Entry requirements
Educational prerequisites
International students
International applicants who have not completed an educational qualification in English must provide proof of proficiency in English through internationally recognised tests such as IELTS or through satisfactory completion of an approved ELICOS course at Excelsia or one of the College’s partner language colleges.
Examination Minimum Scores:
- IELTS 6.5 with no band less than 6.0
- PTE Academic 58 with no score less than 50
Overseas students applying for admission to Excelsia University College courses must have reached the age of 18 years by the commencement of their studies. Excelsia will not admit overseas students who have not yet reached 18 years of age.
International students entering the entering the Graduate Certificate of Community Services will be required to complete an extended orientation if their degree was not completed in English.
Additional suitability assessment
- Criminal History Record: Provide a National Criminal History Record check at time of application obtainable from: nationalcrimecheck.com.au
- Working with Children Check: Provide a Working with Children authorisation at time of application obtainable from: https://wwccheck.ocg.nsw.gov.au/Apply
- All students in the Graduate Certificate of Community Services (GCCS) course are required to engage in personal counselling provided by Excelsia (counselling interns who don’t know the GCCS students, or otherwise senior Excelsia counsellors) throughout their course for at least 12 hours (at least six hours of which should be in first year).
