Deakin and Aged Care Steps partner on Masters degree

aged-care-steps/Marc-Olynyk/deakin-university/Louise-Biti/education/

4 November 2021
| By Chris Dastoor |
image
image
expand image

Deakin University and Aged Care Steps have partnered to include the Aged Care Steps Accredited Aged Care Professional program as a one credit point elective as part of Deakin’s Master of Financial Planning (MFP).

Students who had successfully completed eight of the core units in the MFP could enrol in the program.

Marc Olynyk, MFP course director, said the partnership provided students with the opportunity to graduate with two qualifications and be eligible for the Financial Planning Association of Australia’s (FPA) Aged Care Specialist designation.

“Australia’s ageing population means advisers now need to understand what aged care is, and increasingly, have the knowledge, skills and confidence to appropriately support and advise their clients,” Olynyk said.

“Having a professionally-recognised designation is important for financial advisers seeking to provide a comprehensive client service.”

Louise Biti, Aged Care Steps director, said more than half a million Australians were aged 85 or over and needed access to expert financial advice.

“Aged care is complicated and great advice can make a big difference,” Biti said.

“As part of the Deakin qualifications, advisers can build their competency and credibility to service clients across all phases of retirement planning including the ‘frailty years’, as they take steps to meet their Financial Adviser Standard and Ethics Authority (FASEA) obligations by completing the Aged Care Steps Accredited Aged Care Professional Program,” Biti said.

The industry-based program incorporated five pre-reading modules, an interactive workshop program with two days of face-to-face learning, a formal assessment including multiple-choice and short answer questions, and a comprehensive case study.

Olynyk said the combination of Australia’s ageing population and complex aged care accommodation rules had increased the importance and need for informed advice.

“Financial planners are uniquely placed to provide objective knowledge and support for clients who are often in a vulnerable and frail situation,” Olynyk said.

Read more about:

AUTHOR

Recommended for you

sub-bgsidebar subscription

Never miss the latest news and developments in wealth management industry

MARKET INSIGHTS

So we are now underwriting criminal scams?...

2 months 3 weeks ago

Glad to see the back of you Steve. You made financial more expensive, not more affordable as you claim, and presided ...

2 months 3 weeks ago

Completely agree Peter. The definition of 'significant change is circumstances relevant to the scope of the advice' is s...

4 months 4 weeks ago

ASIC has suspended the Australian Financial Services Licence of a Melbourne-based financial advice firm....

1 week 4 days ago

The corporate regulator has issued infringement notices to three AFSLs whose financial advisers provided personal advice to a retail client while unregistered....

2 weeks 2 days ago

ASIC has released the results of its first adviser exam to be held in 2025, with 241 candidates attempting the test....

3 weeks ago

TOP PERFORMING FUNDS

ACS FIXED INT - AUSTRALIA/GLOBAL BOND