Professional Development Courses
Working in a Culturally Safe Way
This course explores colonisation, government policies and shared history as the knowledge base to inform culturally safe practice. We will define cultural safety and examine ways to ensure cultural safety in our own work practice.
Housing Pathways
Housing Pathways is the way applications for housing assistance are managed in NSW. The Housing Pathways Framework provides coordinated information and advice using a single application and standard assessment process across all social housing organisations.
Introduction to Community Housing
The Introduction to Community Housing provides new workers with information to assist them understand their work in community housing and what role they play in delivering high quality services to their customers and tenants.
Private Rental Assistance (PRA)
Designed for Community Housing Providers offering the Social Housing Management Transfer (SHMT) program, this training supports the delivery and management of Private Rental Assistance (PRA) products and
services.
Managing Challenging Behaviour
Managing challenging behaviour is a significant issue for Community Housing Providers in sustaining tenancies and maintaining good neighbour policies. This session will explore good practice for managing challenging behaviour, investigate resources available through the toolkit and, reflect on and explore how you manage difficult situations.
Managing Hoarding and Squalor
As a Community Housing professional, you will respond to tenants who are identified as hoarders and may live in squalor. It is a complex mental health condition that can affect the person, their family and neighbours.
Three Rs of Mental Health – Recognise, Respond & Refer
Community Housing plays an important role in the housing of people experiencing mental ill health and/or mental distress. This program was developed by CHIA NSW and the Mental Health Coordinating Council for Housing Workers.
Strengthening Practice in Domestic & Family Violence
This session will discuss the myths and realities of domestic and family violence and explore strategies of reducing risk and increasing safety. Working with perpetrators is included as part of the session as many staff will work with perpetrators of domestic and family violence.
Trauma Informed Practice
As a Community Housing Provider, you are working everyday with people who have experienced trauma. This session gives you the opportunity to understand trauma and complexities, examine what impact trauma has on your work, and offers you some tools and strategies to improve and validate your current practice.
Applying Commonwealth Rent Assistance
Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) is the way Community Housing Providers calculate rent subsidies for social housing properties, by using a single standard calculator to determine the assessable income of a tenant and their commonwealth rent assistance contributions.
Presenting at NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Community housing organisations have a responsibility to ensure tenancy issues are managed well and that attempts to resolve issues are made in a timely manner. You will be equipped with essential knowledge and understanding of the workings and processes of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), with an emphasis on sustaining tenancies.
Lunch and Learn the new RTA Reforms 2024
On 24 October 2024, the NSW Parliament passed the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill 2024. The legislation is now the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 (the Act). Changes to end no grounds terminations and making it easier to keep pets are part of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Regulation 2025.
The Act delivers on the NSW Government’s commitment to improve rental laws to support tenants, landlords and the community. It sets up better renting rules that will help give more stability for tenants and certainty for landlords.
Energy Smarts for Housing Professionals
Guidance on practical strategies, concessions, and supports available to tenants.
Skills to engage in meaningful, supportive conversations around energy use and financial stress
Importantly, workers will not be expected to act as technical experts or energy advisors. Instead, the focus is on practical, frontline-level knowledge that complements existing support roles, enabling staff to guide tenants towards the right information, tools, and services.
Starting out in Social Housing?
If you are a new professional in social housing, you may want to consider our Certificate IV in Housing.
This qualification is our foundational program of study for those starting out in social housing and provides critical skills in areas the sector supports.
Need to Chat?
If you are unsure which qualification or Professional Development course would be best for you, give our CHIA NSW Learning & Development team a call on (02) 9690 2447 or send us an enquiry via the form below.