Certificate IV in Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care
CHC42315
How do I prepare for work that helps people feel seen, supported, and cared for?
You may be at a point where you want your work to have a clearer focus on supporting others. Chaplaincy and pastoral care offer one way to do that — through listening, presence, and practical care in schools, churches, and community settings. This course provides a clear pathway into chaplaincy and pastoral care, combining recognised training with practical skills for real-world service.
Duration: 12 months full-time or 18 months part-time
Delivery mode: Live online study, seminar days and fully supported
Funding Payment Plans available
Called to Care
We are living in a time marked by isolation, anxiety, emotional distress, fractured relationships, and growing pressure on individuals, families, and communities. Many people are carrying more than they know how to name, and the need for wise, grounded, and compassionate support is increasingly clear.
This need is especially visible in schools, where young people are facing growing emotional, social, and spiritual pressures. Schools need highly qualified, skilled people who can offer steady support, listen well, respond appropriately, and contribute to student wellbeing with care and professionalism.
For some, this brings a clear sense of direction toward chaplaincy and pastoral care. This course provides a practical way to prepare for that work through recognised training, pastoral care skills, and placement experience.
At Tov, this preparation is shaped by a vision of biblical human flourishing. We are forming chaplains and pastoral care workers who can support people with wisdom, compassion, and professional care, and help bring greater stability, hope, and restoration into schools, churches, and communities.
“I want to care for people well, but I need proper training before I step into something like this.”
This course provides recognised training for chaplaincy and pastoral care, helping you develop the practical skills, judgement, and confidence needed to support people well.
“I can see the need around me, but I am not sure how to move into chaplaincy in a credible way.”
The Certificate IV offers a clear pathway into chaplaincy, with structured learning, practical formation, and a qualification that prepares you for real service in schools, churches, and community settings.
“I do not want training that stays theoretical. I need preparation for real chaplaincy and pastoral care settings.”
The course includes practical learning and placement, so you are not only studying chaplaincy and pastoral care, but preparing to work in the settings where this support is most needed.
A pathway with real need
Across the tov ecosystem, including our work with Christian schools through Abound, we see this need firsthand. In schools, the demand for wise, steady pastoral support is clear. The National Student Wellbeing Program supports wellbeing services in more than 3,000 school communities each year and allows schools to engage a qualified student wellbeing officer or chaplain. (education.gov.au)
While school chaplaincy is a major area of need, opportunities also exist across churches, aged care, hospitals, and correctional settings. This course prepares students for chaplaincy and pastoral care work that can serve people across a wide range of communities.
This course prepares students for work that is needed now — work that brings presence, pastoral care, and grounded support into schools, churches, and the wider community.
Certificate IV In Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care
1. Build practical skills through live training
Students learn through live online classes, supported by seminar days, guided learning, and trainer feedback. The course is designed to build confidence in pastoral care, chaplaincy practice, communication, and real-world support skills. Students are fully supported with an allocated trainer who journeys with them throughout the course.
2. Gain real work experience through placement
Students complete 100 hours of supervised placement in chaplaincy or pastoral care settings. Tov has a growing network of placement connections, including schools, Careline Connections, Prison Fellowship, and other community partners, while students also have the option to source their own placement.
3. Continue your studies into counselling
For students who want to build on this foundation, the pathway can continue into the Diploma of Counselling. Graduates can progress by completing just seven additional units.
Formation that stays with you.
Across decades, roles, and places — people return to what they learned here.
- 16K+formed through AIFC and tov Academy programmes
- 49countries represented in our learning community
- 1M+counsellings sessions held by our alumni
Ready to Begin?
Book an advisory session to explore whether tov Academy is the right formation pathway for where you are—and where you’re becoming.
Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care for Biblical Human Flourishing
Many chaplaincy and pastoral care courses can look similar on the surface. They often focus on immediate care needs, personal challenges, and the pressures people are carrying in the moment. These areas matter, and any credible course needs to prepare students to respond to them with wisdom, care, and professionalism.
Tov chaplaincy and pastoral care courses are shaped by a broader and more integrated vision. Our approach is grounded in a holistic, biblical understanding of human flourishing. Students are taught to see people as whole persons, where emotional wellbeing, relationships, identity, purpose, faith, and everyday life all matter in the work of care and support.
This shapes the kind of chaplains and pastoral care workers we are seeking to form. Students develop practical care skills, professional capability, and readiness for real-world service while engaging a richer vision of healing, growth, and restoration. The result is training that prepares students to serve with competence and compassion, and to support people in ways that reach beyond immediate concerns alone.
That is part of what makes Tov distinctive. We are preparing chaplains and pastoral care workers to serve in ways that help transform lives to flourish.
Waiting is costing you
Sometimes the cost of waiting is broader than it first appears. It is not only about staying in a job that no longer feels aligned. It is also about the lives that may never be supported, strengthened, or changed through the ministry work you could be equipped to do — including your own life, your family, and the wider community around you.
Delaying a step into chaplaincy or pastoral care can mean more than just postponing a career decision. It can mean postponing growth, contribution, and the opportunity to bring wise and practical support to others. At tov, we speak about being formed to flourish. In this context, flourishing is not private. It shapes how you live, how you serve, and the good you are able to carry into others’ lives.
The Invitation
When you are ready to take the next step, this pathway offers more than a qualification. It is a structured opportunity to grow in spiritual formation, develop core counselling skills, and build practical confidence through professional placement and practice. For those considering a future in counselling or Christian counselling, it is a way to move forward with greater clarity, stronger preparation, and a clearer sense of where this work may lead.
At tov, we believe people are formed to flourish, and that flourishing is never limited to the individual. As you grow in wisdom, skill, and readiness for practice, that growth has the potential to shape your own life, strengthen your family, and bring support and hope to the people and communities you serve. This is part of what it means to prepare for work that helps transform lives to flourish.
Book a Course Advisory Session with our team to talk through your options, ask your questions, and explore whether this counselling pathway fits the season you are in.
Ancient Wisdom,
New Way to Learn
At tov academy, learning looks different. You donʼt just earn credentials—you grow through reflective practice, applied projects, and real-world experience.
AI-simulated learning provides safe, realistic scenarios to practice decision-making, problem-solving, and counselling before stepping into the real world.
Hybrid study and in-person seminars, and fully supported by the training team throughout your time at tov.
Course Details
Minimum Entry Requirements
- Be aged 18 years or over at the time of enrolment.
- Provide proof of identity, such as a certified copy of a driver’s licence or passport
- Students should also begin considering where they intend to complete their placement
All applicants must complete the aifc Pre-Enrolment Questionnaire, which includes a Language, Literacy, Numeracy and Digital (LLND) self-assessment.
This process helps identify any areas where additional support may be required to ensure students are ready for online study.
All students must have a valid Unique Student Identifier (USI) before enrolling in any nationally accredited qualification with aifc, as required by the Australian Government.
Student support and wellbeing
aifc is committed to supporting each student’s academic, personal and spiritual wellbeing throughout their study journey. Students are encouraged to inform aifc at the time of enrolment of any additional support needs, including:
- Learning or disability support (e.g. additional time for assessments, assistive technology)
- Cultural or language support
- Pastoral and wellbeing support, available through the aifc Student Services and Abound counselling network
Early disclosure enables aifc to provide appropriate, reasonable adjustments and connect students with the right support services from the beginning of their course.
Technology and equipment requirements
Because this course is delivered online and includes recorded workplace-simulated counselling role-plays, students must have access to:
- a computer or laptop with word-processing software (e.g. Microsoft Word or Google Docs)
- a high-speed internet connection
- a webcam and microphone suitable for online classes and recording assessments
- a quiet and private environment for video participation and counselling simulations
Total Number of Units: 13
9 CORE UNITS
- CHCCCS016 Respond to client needs
- CHCCCS017 Provide loss and grief support
- CHCCOM002 Use communication to build relationships
- CHCDIV001 Work with diverse people
- CHCLEG001 Work legally and ethically
- CHCMHS001 Work with people with mental health issues
- CHCPAS001 Plan for the provision of pastoral and spiritual care
- CHCPAS002 Provide pastoral and spiritual care
- CHCPRP003 Reflect on and improve own professional practice
4 ELECTIVE UNITS
The CHC42315 consists of 13 units of competency and can be completed over 12 months full-time or 18 months part-time.
Full-time study: 13 units completed over 12 months, with students typically studying 3 units per term (around 25–30 hours per week).
Part-time study: 13 units completed over 18 months, with students typically studying 2 units per term (around 15 hours per week).
All teaching is delivered online, with each unit including two 2-hour live classes at the beginning of each term to support your learning and engagement.
Assessment and Workplace Requirements
All assessment tasks are completed through aifc’s online learning platform and include written responses, case studies, and recorded workplace-simulated counselling role plays.
Students are encouraged to identify supportive community members who can participate in role-play activities as part of the assessment process.
For Study Dates, see the drop-down menu under Train, Student Information.
At tov, we believe that learning happens best when students are supported personally, academically, and spiritually. Throughout your study, you’ll have access to a wide range of services designed to help you succeed and flourish.
Academic and Study Support
Each student is allocated a qualified trainer and assessor who journeys with them academically and pastorally through each unit of study.
- One-on-one assistance from trainers and assessors is available throughout the course.
- Access to study skills resources, academic writing guidance, and structured feedback.
- Individualised support plans are available for students who need additional academic, learning, or wellbeing support.
- Extensions and reasonable adjustments may be provided where appropriate to ensure equitable participation.
Wellbeing and Pastoral Care
Tov provides a caring, faith-based environment that recognises the whole person.
- Students have access to free counselling sessions through trainee counsellors under supervision, or may choose to access support from Abound counsellors for confidential emotional and wellbeing support.
- Pastoral care is available through the Student Services team and Course Managers.
- Optional group sessions and community-building activities help foster connection and belonging throughout your study.
- Where needed, tov can assist students in connecting with external support services for specialised care.
Disability, Cultural and Learning Support
If you have a disability, learning difference, or personal circumstances that may affect your studies, we encourage you to let us know early. This enables aifc to provide appropriate, reasonable adjustments, develop individualised support plans, and connect you with the right resources to support your success.
The fees for the CHC42315 Cert IV in Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care are found in the Course Guide
For a full breakdown of payment options, invoicing, and the cooling-off period, please refer to the Course Fees page.
For information regarding refunds, withdrawals, or deferrals, please refer to the Withdraw, Defer or Change Enrolment Process & Procedure.
"In my role at the school, I noticed many parents in need of support, and many youth feeling lost and anxious. I was concerned that I wasn’t equipped to help. Finding Tov (formally aifc), with its biblically integrated courses, was reassuring. I wanted a Christian course that would allow me to guide others with the wisdom of Scripture as I listen to them."
"I noticed that many male teenagers and men are falling through the gaps, with their mental health often overlooked. Many struggle with identity, and God has given me a passion to support them. Through aifc, I'm learning how to collaborate with others and engage in crucial conversations. Studying at Tov Academy, formmaly aifc, has been inclusive and has transformed my perspective."
Ready to Begin?
You’ve been considering this for a while. Perhaps sensing a call to helping work, wondering if formal training is right for you, asking whether it’s too late or too soon. The next step is simple: a conversation. Book an advisory session to explore whether tov Academy is the right formation pathway for where you are—and where you’re becoming.
8,000+ practitioners formed through real-world practice
"*" indicates required fields
