SAFCA Membership, Professional Development and Supervision

Written on the 26 January 2021 by SAFCA

SAFCA follows Financial Counselling Australia's National Standards for Membership & Accreditation.

To read the National Standards, click here

For an update of the requirements for membership of SAFCA, I have provided information about:

• The three types of membership
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
• Professional Supervision

At SAFCA, we offer 3 types of membership:

• Affiliate Non voting
  • Working in the financial counselling sector in a related role, or
  • studying for the Diploma of Financial Counselling, or
  • Completed the Diploma of Financial Counselling and not working as a financial counsellor
• Associate
  • Working as a financial counsellor, and
  • Studying for the Diploma of Financial Counselling, or
  • Holds the Diploma of Financial Counselling and has not yet had 24 months full time experience
  • Meets the requirements for Supervision and Continuing Professional Development,
• Full
  • Has had 24 months Full time experience or 36 months part time experience working as a Financial Counsellor, and
  • Holds the Diploma of Financial Counselling, and
  • Meets the requirements for Supervision and Continuing Professional Development, or
  • If not working as a financial counsellor, meets requirements for continuing professional development

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the reinforcement or acquisition of skills or knowledge relevant to the workplace.

• A Financial Counsellor must complete 20 points of CPD per annum
• There must be at least one activity from each of the following CPD categories:
  • Technical eg content knowledge relevant to legal issues, banking, fines, EDR/IDR, superannuation, hardship, insurance, completion of Statements of Financial Position
  • Skills e.g. counselling, mental health, communication (written, verbal), interviewing, cultural awareness, suicide prevention/training and negotiation
  • Ethics e.g. conflict of interest, boundaries, counselling relationships, cultural awareness, options- client choices; appropriate referral to other services
• The attached National Standards includes a Points Guide for CPD

Professional supervision supports the work of a financial counsellor. The supervision process provides a forum to discuss casework, clinical aspects of the role and the the counsellor's emotional and psychological wellbeing.:

• If working as a Financial Counsellor, as a minimum, you are required to have the following Supervision
  • Employed 0.5 FTE or more 10 hours per membership year, or
  • Employed less than 0.5 FTE 6 hours per membership year.
• The attached National Standards details who can be a SAFCA Supervisor, and the types of Supervision that can be undertaken.