HOME BASED PERSONAL CARE ASSISTANT

Occupational Certificate: Home Based Personal Care Assistant SAQA 104779

What is a Home Based Personal Care Assistant?

A Home Based Personal Care Assistant provides supervised care and support to patients and household members in the home, in order to promote, restore and maintain a person’s comfort, function, spiritual wellbeing and physical health including care towards a dignified death. The work of a Home Based Personal Care Assistant focusses on:

  • therapeutic work (to make better)
  • rehabilitative work (to restore to health)
  • long-term maintenance (to care for over a long time)
  • palliative care (for those with life-limiting conditions).

All these tasks require time and commitment and imply a longer-term relationship with clients/patients

What are the entry requirements?

  • Min NQF Level 1
  • ABET Level 4
  • Grade 9, 10, 11 (No specific subjects are required)

Duration of study: 

It can be done in twelve (12) months on full-time attendance (i.e. Mon to Fri) or eighteen (18) months on part-time attendance (Sat classes).

There are three (3) intakes per year: February, July and October.

Examinations

Learners will write national exams after completing the course. Exams are written in March and October/November every year and conducted by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO)

 Certification

Learners who pass the national examinations will be awarded Occupational Certificate: Home Based Personal Care Assistant by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO).

What can one do after obtaining this qualification?

  1. Find employment.
  • Major employer is Department of Health (Clinics, rehabilitation centres, testing and counselling centres) through its implementation of Primary Health Care Re-engineering under NHI.
  • Other employers include Schools, waste disposal plants, water purification plants, local municipalities, Mental Health Centres, Old age homes, mines, Health Research centers, Cancer foundation, heart foundation, diabetes foundation, social department, department of housing and NGOs.
  1. Enroll for higher level qualifications such as:
  • Occupational Certificate: Health Promotions Officer (Community Health Worker), Level
  • Occupational Certificate: Home Based Personal Care Assistant, Level 3