Brisbane early childhood educator practising with an adrenaline injector trainer to meet ACECQA asthma and anaphylaxis requirements
A new little one with an EpiPen is about to start in your room, and somewhere in a drawer at home there’s a certificate you haven’t looked at since the day you got it. That’s usually the moment the asthma and anaphylaxis ACECQA requirements stop being the director’s problem and start feeling like yours. Is that piece of paper actually enough? Most educators honestly aren’t sure, and that’s not on you.
That certificate is a bit like the battery in a smoke alarm. You assume it’s fine. Right up until you actually check.
So here’s the short version. Under Regulation 136 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations, centre-based services need at least one educator on the premises, and immediately available, who holds current approved first aid, anaphylaxis management and emergency asthma management training. Not for most of the day. Whenever children are being educated and cared for.
The rule itself is short. The confusion comes from everything around it. Which courses does ACECQA actually approve? Does your HLTAID012 already cover you? What changed with the 2026 asthma course code? And how often do you need to renew, anyway?
Let’s start with what the regulation actually asks for.
What Are the ACECQA Requirements for Asthma and Anaphylaxis Training?
Under Regulation 136 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations, education and care services must have an educator with current, ACECQA-approved anaphylaxis management and emergency asthma management training on the premises and immediately available whenever children are being educated and cared for.
- Approved training only. The course has to appear on ACECQA's NQF approved qualifications list.
- Three requirements. First aid, anaphylaxis management and emergency asthma management must all be covered. One educator can hold all three.
- HLTAID012 counts. ACECQA approves it for all three requirements.
- Renew every three years. This is ACECQA's stated industry standard.
- Refresh CPR annually.
- Family day care. Check your service type. Family day care rules differ.
🧸 Roster reality: Coverage counts from first drop-off to last pick-up, including lunch breaks, excursions and sick days.
Regulation 136 Explained: Who Needs Asthma and Anaphylaxis Training
On paper, Regulation 136 looks like a simple rule. But anyone who’s actually run a room knows the tricky part isn’t the wording. It’s the roster.
What “On the Premises and Immediately Available” Means on a Real Roster
It covers the whole time children are in the building. From the first drop-off, through the lunch break shuffle, right up to the last sleepy kid getting picked up at close.
Say you’ve got one trained educator. Then she goes on her lunch break, or heads out on the excursion to the park, or rings in sick with gastro on a Monday morning. Now nobody on the floor holds current approved training, and the service isn’t covered.
The fix is simple: train several staff, not just one, and stagger renewal dates so everyone’s certificate doesn’t run out in the same month. It’s a bit like a spare key. One key works fine, right up until the day it’s in someone else’s pocket.
Centre-Based, Family Day Care and OSHC: How the Rule Differs
Service type | What’s needed |
Long day care and kindy | At least one educator per service with approved training, on the premises and immediately available |
Family day care | Check your service type, as family day care rules differ |
OSHC and vacation care | The same requirement applies. Excursions count too, so think about who’s with the kids off-site |
Who Is Accountable: Educators, Nominated Supervisors and Approved Providers
Legally, the obligation sits with the approved provider and the nominated supervisor. They’re the ones who have to show the service meets Regulation 136.
That doesn’t mean educators can shrug it off. Most centres require it through your contract or centre policy, so when your director asks for your certificate, that’s why. It also ties into Quality Area 2, which covers children’s health and safety.
Knowing someone must be trained is half the answer. The other half is which training ACECQA accepts.
Which Asthma and Anaphylaxis Courses Are ACECQA Approved?
ACECQA doesn’t approve providers. It approves courses. If your course isn’t on the NQF approved qualifications list, it doesn’t count.
Course | What it covers | ACECQA category |
HLTAID012 Provide first aid in an education and care setting | First aid, asthma, anaphylaxis | First Aid, Asthma and Anaphylaxis |
22578VIC Course in First Aid Management of Anaphylaxis | Anaphylaxis only | Check ACECQA’s list |
22702VIC Course in the Management of Asthma Risks and Emergencies | Asthma only | Check ACECQA’s list |
22556VIC (superseded) | Asthma only | Emergency Asthma only, completions before December 2025 |
HLTAID011 Provide first aid | General first aid | First Aid only |
HLTAID012: All Three Requirements in One Course
If you’re new to the sector, this is the most efficient way through. One course, one certificate, and it ticks first aid, asthma and anaphylaxis all at once.
22578VIC: Standalone Anaphylaxis Management
This is the focused anaphylaxis course. It covers recognising a reaction, using both EpiPen and Anapen devices, following ASCIA Action Plans and risk minimisation. Version 2 was released in November 2025, so if a provider is still teaching an older version, ask why.
22702VIC: The 2026 Asthma Course Code Change
🟠 New in 2026: asthma course code change From 1 January 2026, 22556VIC was superseded by 22702VIC.
According to the Victorian Government’s 22702VIC course document, the old asthma course has been replaced.
So what about the certificate you’ve already got? ACECQA’s list currently shows 22556VIC under Emergency Asthma for completions before December 2025. Don’t guess on this one. Grab your certificate, check the completion date and line it up against the list yourself.
Courses That Won’t Satisfy ACECQA
- HLTAID011 on its own. General first aid only, with no asthma or anaphylaxis approval.
- Non-accredited awareness courses. If they're not on the list, they don't count.
- Online-only courses with no practical assessment. You need to physically show you can use the devices.
- ASCIA's free anaphylaxis e-training. Genuinely good preparation, but not a substitute for approved training.
That table raises the question most educators ask first.
🙋 The big question: Yes, a current HLTAID012 covers first aid, asthma and anaphylaxis for ACECQA. You might not need to book anything.
Does HLTAID012 Cover Asthma and Anaphylaxis?
Yes. ACECQA lists HLTAID012 as meeting all three requirements: first aid, anaphylaxis management and emergency asthma management.
When HLTAID012 Is All You Need
You probably don’t need to book anything else if your HLTAID012 is current and your service accepts it under its medical conditions policy. That’s it. We’d rather tell you that than sell you a course you don’t need.
When a Standalone Asthma and Anaphylaxis Course Still Makes Sense
- You hold HLTAID011, not HLTAID012. The codes look nearly the same, but HLTAID011 doesn't carry the asthma and anaphylaxis approval.
- Your centre's policy asks for 2-year anaphylaxis refreshers. Some services set a tighter cycle than the industry standard.
- A child with a severe allergy has just enrolled. Your certificate might be fine, but you want focused hands-on time with the devices before that first morning tea. Completely reasonable.
- You're a nanny or school support worker and your employer specifies the course.
Once you know which certificate counts, the next thing to check is its date.
How Long Is Asthma and Anaphylaxis Training Valid?
Here’s the thing about the asthma and anaphylaxis ACECQA requirements. The word doing all the heavy lifting is “current”. A certificate is a bit like the date on a carton of milk. It’s fine for a while, and then one day it just isn’t.
ACECQA’s Three-Year Industry Standard, Plus Annual CPR
According to ACECQA, the industry standard is to renew approved first aid, asthma and anaphylaxis training every three years, and refresh CPR every year.
That’s an industry standard, not legislation, but it’s what services and assessors go by.
Due for your yearly CPR refresh? HLTAID009 →
Why Some Anaphylaxis Certificates Say Two Years
If your anaphylaxis certificate says two years, it isn’t a typo. The 22578VIC course document recommends a 2-yearly refresher as best practice, and some RTOs (registered training organisations) print a 2-year validity on the certificate because of it.
So check what’s printed on your certificate and what your centre’s policy says. If either says two years, go with two. Anaphylaxis skills get rusty faster than you’d think.
Expired Training and What It Means for Your Service
Once training has expired, it isn’t “current approved” training anymore. If you were the person counted on the roster, the service may not be covered while you’re on the floor.
The easy fix is to book well before your expiry date, so a full course or a sick day doesn’t push you over the line.
If your renewal is coming up, you’ve probably wondered whether you can just do it online.
Can You Complete ACECQA Asthma and Anaphylaxis Training Online?
Partly, yes. But not completely.
Most approved courses use blended delivery. You do the theory online, maybe on the couch after a long shift with a cuppa, then come in for a practical session in person.
That in-person part isn’t optional. The assessment requirements in the 22702VIC and 22578VIC course documents call for a practical assessment, so you have to physically show the assessor you can do it.
That means hands-on time with adrenaline injector trainers, both EpiPen and Anapen, plus reliever puffers and spacers, including spacers with masks for the little ones.
And it makes sense. Reading about an EpiPen is like learning to swim from a YouTube video. You can watch it a hundred times, but you don’t really know until you’re in the water.
Holding the trainer, feeling the click and counting while it’s held against a thigh builds the muscle memory you’ll lean on when your hands are shaking.
So if a course is advertised as “100% online, ACECQA approved”, treat it as a red flag. Check the course code against ACECQA’s NQF approved qualifications list before you pay a cent.
For directors, being compliant also means being able to prove it.
📁 For directors: Being compliant also means being able to prove it, with records ready before an assessment visit.
What Directors and Nominated Supervisors Need on File
Everyone’s trained, then an assessment visit lands and the first question is “can I see that?” Being trained and being able to show it are two different jobs.
Staff Records and Certificate Evidence
Keep a copy of every educator’s statement of attainment, with the completion date easy to spot. A folder of PDFs on someone’s desktop isn’t a system, though. Put the expiry dates somewhere you’ll actually see them.
Medical Conditions Policy and ASCIA Action Plans
For each child with a diagnosed allergy or asthma, your service needs an ASCIA Action Plan, a risk minimisation plan and a communication plan on file under its medical conditions policy. Keep the three together, keep them current, and keep them where every educator in that room can find them fast. The action plans themselves are on the ASCIA website.
Building a Roster That’s Never Uncovered
- Train several staff. One trained educator leaves gaps at lunch, on excursions and on sick days.
- Stagger expiry dates. Don't let half your team expire in the same month.
- Include casuals and new starters in onboarding. These are the gaps people forget, right up until a casual is the only one on the floor at close.
📋 Director's compliance register template: Track approved first aid, asthma and anaphylaxis training for every staff member in one place.
When it’s time to book, here’s how to pick training that actually builds confidence.
Choosing Asthma and Anaphylaxis Training in Brisbane
Once you understand the asthma and anaphylaxis ACECQA requirements, picking a provider gets easier. But not every asthma and anaphylaxis course Brisbane has on offer feels the same. Some leave you confident. Some just leave you with a certificate.
Five Things to Check Before You Book
- The course code is on ACECQA's list. ACECQA approved anaphylaxis training and asthma training means the code is listed, whatever the website says.
- Hands-on practice with EpiPen and Anapen trainers. Both in your hands, not just a slide.
- Child-specific scenarios. Including a spacer with a mask for under-5s.
- A same-day certificate. So you can hand it to your director straight away.
- Evenings and Saturdays. Sessions that fit around a long day care roster.
What to Do Next
From here, it’s honestly simpler than all the rule talk makes it sound.
Start with your certificate. Pull it out of that drawer and look at two things: the course code and the completion date.
If the code is on ACECQA’s list and the date is still current, you’re probably sorted. That’s a nice feeling.
Not sure where you stand? Use the “Am I covered?” checker. It’ll tell you if you’re current and when to renew.
If it’s getting close to expiring, book before it does. Don’t wait until a new enrollment is already in your room.
And if half your team is due at once, ask your director about on-site group training. Way easier than juggling everyone’s roster.
At the end of the day, the certificate is just paper. What you really want is to know you’ll act fast and calm when a child needs you.
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