California caregivers have been asking Caregiverlist lots of questions about the new California caregiver training mandate which has become effective as of January 1, 2016. Here is a quick run down of the new requirements and how to become a certified California caregiver.
What is the new California requirement called?
How many hours of training are required? 5 hours prior to working with a client + 5 hours annually which means a total of 10 hours for new caregivers followed by 5 hours every year of training on any of the core competencies of caregiving.
Can this training be digital? Yes.
How do you verify you have the training? Provide documentation of attending an approved training course covering the required topics and completing an exam showing competencies on the criteria (show that you were taught the info and know it). The Caregiverlist Basic Caregiver Training powered by Caregiver Training University allows you to maintain an account with a log-in and password to always access your training along with other information for caregivers such as popular books and movies to help you learn about all aspects of caregiving and how to "care for the caregiver" which means caring for yourself. Because senior caregiving requires emotional stamina as well as knowledge.
If you are a very experienced caregiver do you still have to take the training? Yes.
What is the ongoing annual training requirement? 5 hours incorporating learning in any core competencies such as age-related diseases, safety, activities of daily living.
How can you show that you have the appropriate training to a new employer? Present the time of training, the name of the training and show verification you completed the course (passing an exam qualifies).
Can your employer provide you with the training? Yes and they are required to do so but you can also present qualifying training upon interviewing.
Does Caregiverlist's digital training meet the requirements? Yes and you may learn more about the Caregiverlist Basic Training, the only training created specifically for senior home care.
How much does the training cost? $59 or $79 if you would like to join the Professional Association of Caregivers at the same time.
Why did California decide to pass a law requiring the training? As more and more seniors are choosing to age-in-place in their own home, the training and licensing requirements present a minimum standard for quality. In addition, the union that pursues caregivers as members through the low-income government caregiving programs, the SEIU, has been an advocate for training requirements (the SEIU won training requirements in the state of Washington which reimburses them for the hours that the caregivers are being trained which is 75 hours - this is too expensive for seniors to afford and because of that senior care companies only hire caregivers who already have the C.N.A. training so that seniors do not have to pay for 75 hours of training for a caregiver prior to having their services begin). The California legislature had dual bills for caregiver licensing and training proposed (one championed by the union) and finally passed AB1217 requiring the 5 hours of annual training and 5 hours prior to a caregiver being staffed with a senior.
Caregiverlist connects the caregiver's training certification from Caregiver Training University to their job application on Caregiverlist.
