Co-designed development of a vocational education and training program for peer health and social care navigators in Australia

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Jessup, Simone Said, Natali Cvetanovska, Jessica Laughlin, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9349836/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Peer health navigators (lay patient navigators) are increasingly used to support consumers to access and navigate health and social care systems, particularly for populations experiencing barriers to care. Despite growing evidence of their effectiveness, Australia lacks a nationally recognised education and training pathway to support consistent capability development for this emerging health workforce. This study describes the co-design and development of Australia’s first contextualised vocational education and training program for peer health navigators. Methods A multi-stage, mixed-methods approach integrated evidence from a systematic review of international peer health navigator education and/or training programs, stakeholder interviews, focus groups, co-design workshops with culturally and linguistically diverse communities and curriculum co-development with subject matter experts. Findings informed the development of a capability framework for peer health navigators as well as the selection and contextualisation of units within a Certificate III in Community Services qualification specific for the education and training of peer health navigators. Results The resulting curriculum comprised 12 units (33 modules) aligned with vocational education requirements and the identified capabilities and competencies required for the training of vocationally recognised practice of health navigators. Core units focused on communication, working with diverse individuals, safe work practice, and maintaining professional continuity, while elective units addressed knowledge and skills development for consumer empowerment and advocacy, addressing cultural safety, working with mental health and crisis situations, and appropriate engagement with health services and specific consumer needs such as chronic disease support. All units underwent expert review to ensure relevance, cultural responsiveness, safety, and feasibility. Conclusion This work establishes a structured, nationally recognised education and training pathway to support the integration of peer health navigators across health and community service settings in Australia. The curriculum provides a foundation for workforce development in this emerging area of practice. Future research should evaluate implementation, learner outcomes and the impact of vocationally trained peer health navigators on service access, consumer experience and health equity. health navigator patient navigator peer navigator peer support health training health education workforce development Figures Figure 1 BACKGROUND Peer health navigators are community members trained to guide individuals through health and social care systems, providing support, building trust and improving access to services. These individuals are also commonly referred to as patient navigators, however this term also encompasses health and social care professionals trained to work with consumers across care systems [ 1 ]. The contributions of peer health navigators are particularly vital for underserved or hard-to-reach populations who often experience fragmented care, communication barriers, or low health literacy [ 2 ]. In Australia, peer navigation roles have traditionally been embedded within community-based services [ 3 – 6 ], with Aboriginal Health Workers and mental health peer workers representing two of the formalised and widely recognised navigator workforces in Australia. Globally, the use of lay peer navigators has been established for more than three decades. Internationally, navigators have contributed to maternal and child health improvements, chronic disease self-management, and access to communicable and non-communicable disease care [ 7 – 9 ]. These roles span consumers with disease-specific needs such as for cancer, HIV or mental health, in primary care, emergency department and broader service models [ 10 – 15 ]. Cooperation within health and social care systems has been identified as an important facilitator for the integration of and success of these roles [ 16 ]. Despite the effectiveness of peer navigator programs globally, formal recognition and structured education and training pathways for these roles remain limited across the Australian health system. Recent health and social care system pressures, particularly those highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, have reinforced the importance of roles that promote equitable access and support individuals to navigate increasingly complex health and social care environments [ 17 ]. Existing initiatives in Australia demonstrate the value of culturally grounded, community-led navigation models, and several peak bodies have formally recognised the importance of peer navigators in supporting the provision of coordinated care services, including the cancer and disability sectors [ 18 , 19 ]. Despite the growing evidence of effectiveness, Australia currently has no nationally recognised qualification to support recognised capability development to enable peer navigators to work safely and effectively across diverse settings, including community organisations, primary care, virtual care and health and social services more broadly. In response to this gap, we undertook a multi-phase program of research and curriculum development to create Australia’s first contextualised Certificate III in Community Services (Health Navigator) qualification. This work sought to establish an evidence-informed vocational pathway to support the safe, scalable and culturally responsive integration of peer health navigators across health systems. The aim of this study was to describe the co-design and development of this qualification, including the rationale for unit selection, the capability domains underpinning the curriculum and the structure and content of the resulting modules. A secondary aim was to describe the formative end-user review undertaken to refine draft module content and usability. METHODS Study design The multi-stage, mixed-methods design integrated evidence from a systematic review, co-design, subject selection and curriculum co-development with subject matter experts (Fig. 1 ). This approach ensured that the resulting education and training program was grounded in international best practice, informed by the experiences and needs of consumers, health professionals, health administrators and community representatives in Australia, aligned with the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) level 3 for vocational education requirements, and responsive to real-world usability. *Base certification included mandatory units: contextualised to the health navigator role Ethics approval was granted by the Northern Health Low Risk Ethics Committee (HREC/87830/NH-2022). Context and rationale for qualification structure An existing CHC32015 Certificate III in Community Services was chosen as the qualification structure for the development of a peer health navigation curriculum. The Certificate III in Community Services offered strong alignment with the scope and nature of peer health navigation roles, which are non-clinical, relational, and centred on communication, cultural responsiveness, care coordination, and problem-solving. The qualification contained the core units relevant to navigation practice, enabling the project team to contextualise content, rather than duplicate or recreate foundational capabilities, while ensuring the curriculum met the Australian Qualifications Framework requirements. The decision to a Certificate III qualification reflected the regulatory constraints of the Australian vocational education and training system, in which only national industry bodies, Job Skills Councils (JSCs) and Commonwealth, state, and territory Skills Ministers, together, can initiate the creation of new training packages. Developing an entirely new qualification would have required an extensive multi-year national consultation and endorsement process, falling outside both the scope and timeline of the Victorian Workforce Training and Innovation Fund initiative. Building on an established qualification also allowed for expedited accreditation of a nationally recognised qualification that could be immediately implemented to supporting this emerging workforce. This approach allowed resources to be directed toward high-quality instructional design and culturally relevant module development, while enabling rapid implementation and early workforce testing that would not have been possible through the creation of a new education and training package. Data sources Systematic review A recent systematic review of international lay and peer navigator training programs conducted in high-income countries (2007–2025) synthesised the skills, capabilities and training content addressed in navigator preparation. The final review included 93 studies and identified 12 common training content areas, which can be conceptually grouped into three overarching domains: interpersonal capabilities (communication, counselling, patient empowerment), role-specific navigation skills (assessment, referral, care coordination, condition-specific knowledge), and general professional competencies (documentation, confidentiality, organisational requirements, cultural competency and equity). The review also highlighted substantial variability in reporting quality of included studies, and limited detail regarding training structure and delivery. Interviews and focus groups A series of interviews and focus groups were undertaken with key stakeholder groups to understand the design, delivery, and integration of health navigator roles. The interview guide was part of previous studies that have been published elsewhere [ 20 , 21 ]. Semi-structured interviews with consumers (n = 16) explored their experiences of navigating health systems and their views on the attributes and skills needed in a health navigator [ 21 ]. Two focus groups with health navigators (n = 8) from both the public health system and a private insurer examined role expectations, education and training requirements and practical experiences [ 21 ]. An additional focus group with health professionals (n = 11) explored the perceived value of navigation roles, safe work practice and communication considerations, supervision and support, together with the challenges in integrating these roles into existing health care pathways [ 21 ]. Interviews with managers and subject-matter experts (n = 17) further explored role design, workforce integration, supervision models, and organisational readiness to support navigator implementation [ 20 ]. The managers and subject-matter experts represented a diverse range of perspectives across health and social care sectors including chronic disease, disability, aged care, mental health, cancer care, and community-based support services. In addition, co-design workshops were conducted with culturally and linguistically diverse community members to better understand barriers to health care access and the potential role for bicultural peer health navigators. Two sets of workshops were conducted separately with Arabic-speaking community members and with Pacific Islander and Māori community members (six workshops in total, n = 46) [ 2 ]. RESULTS Findings from the systematic review, interviews, focus groups, and co-design workshops informed the development of a capability framework and a mapped set of competencies aligned with vocational education requirements. These informed the co-development of the full curriculum consisting of 12 units (33 modules) within a Certificate III in Community Services qualification. The first five units comprised core mandatory subjects common to Community Services qualifications, contextualised to health navigation practice (Table 1 ). These units focused on foundational capabilities required for safe client engagement, communication, culturally responsive practice, workplace safety and professional continuity. Table 1 Overview of final core subjects in the vocational education and training package Unit # Unit Code Unit Name Module # Module Name Unit 1 CHCCCS016 Respond to client needs Module 1 Building relationships and assessing care needs Module 2 Responding to and addressing client needs Unit 2 CHCCOM005 Communicate and work in health or community services Module 1 Communicate effectively Module 2 Communication barriers and constraints Module 3 Workplace documents and continuous improvements Unit 3 CHCDIV001 Work with diverse people Module 1 Work with awareness Module 2 Understanding diversity Module 3 Working with empathy Unit 4 HLTWHS002 Follow safe work practices for direct client care Module 1 Follow safe work practices Module 2 Safe manual handling techniques Module 3 Follow infection control procedure at work Unit 5 HLTWHS006 Manage personal stressors in the work environment Module 1 Managing personal stress Module 2 Implementing stress management strategies Module 3 Evaluating stress reducing strategies The remaining seven elective units were selected based on alignment with stakeholder consultation findings and the identified capability framework. All units were reviewed by at least one, and in most cases two, subject-matter experts to ensure accuracy, cultural relevance, safety, and feasibility for implementation within health navigation roles (Table 2 ). Table 2 Overview of final elective subjects in the vocational education and training package Unit # Unit Code Unit Name Module # Module Name Unit 6 CHCCCS038 Facilitate the empowerment of people receiving support Module 1 The rights of people receiving support Module 2 Health and self-determination of people receiving support Unit 7 CHCDIV002 Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety Module 1 Exploring indigenous culture Module 2 Cultural safety strategies Unit 8 CHCMHS001 Work with people with mental health issues Module 1 The basics of mental health Module 2 Working in the mental health sector Module 3 Supporting people with mental health issues Unit 9 CHCCCS019 Recognise and respond to crisis situations Module 1 Recognising crisis situations, indicators and safety issues Module 2 Responding to crisis situations Module 3 Client referrals and self-care Unit 10 CHCADV001 Facilitate the interests and rights of clients Module 1 The rights, interests and needs of clients Module 2 Advocate and support clients Module 3 Complaints Unit 11 CHCCCS001 Address the needs of people with chronic disease Module 1 Establish the needs of persons with chronic disease Module 2 Support the person in a holistic manner Module 3 Contribute to a coordinated service approach Unit 12 CHCPRP005 Engage with health professionals and the health system Module 1 Use health care systems and services Module 2 Interact with health professionals Module 3 Make referrals to health professionals Curriculum content overview The final curriculum was designed to develop the core capabilities required for effective health navigation practice including relational care, communication, cultural responsiveness, safe work practice, empowerment, advocacy, health and social system navigation and professional continuity. Unit-level summaries of curriculum content are provided below: Unit 1: Respond to client needs This unit develops foundational navigation practice skills, including relationship-building, assessment of client needs, recognition of risk indicators, and coordination of appropriate supports and referrals within scope of practice. It includes an overview of the structure of the Australian health care system, and relevant legislation and ethical responsibilities in this context. Unit 2: Communicate and work in health or community services This unit develops interpersonal communication, professional collaboration, and documentation skills required to support clients, carers and service providers across health and community settings. Unit 3: Work with diverse people This unit develops cultural awareness, inclusive practice and communication skills to support people from diverse cultural, linguistic and social backgrounds. Unit 4: Follow safe work practices for direct client care This unit develops knowledge and skills related to workplace health and safety, including hazard identification, manual handling, infection prevention and incident reporting in client-facing environments. Unit 5: Manage personal stressors in the work environment This unit focuses on professional sustainability, supporting learners to recognise workplace stressors, implement self-care strategies and maintain wellbeing when working in emotionally demanding roles. Unit 6: Facilitate the empowerment of people receiving support This unit develops understanding of human rights, self-determination, person-centred practice and shared decision-making in health navigation. Unit 7: Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety This unit develops knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and health contexts, and builds skills for culturally safe practice and respectful engagement with communities. Unit 8: Work with people with mental health issues This unit introduces mental health concepts, recovery-oriented practice and communication strategies to support people experiencing mental health challenges. Unit 9: Recognise and respond to crisis situations This unit develops skills in recognising crisis indicators, responding safely and appropriately, supporting referrals, and maintaining professional boundaries and self-care. Unit 10: Facilitate the interests and rights of clients This unit focuses on advocacy, supporting client rights, assisting with complaints processes, and enabling participation in decision-making. Unit 11: Address the needs of people with chronic disease This unit develops knowledge of chronic disease management, holistic support approaches, self-management and coordinated care across services. Unit 12: Engage with health professionals and the health system This unit focuses on navigating health services, communicating with professionals, and supporting referrals and coordination across the health system. The curriculum has been designed to support flexible delivery across education and workforce contexts. While the full program can be delivered as the CHC32015 Certificate III qualification, individual modules have been intentionally structured as stand-alone learning components that can be delivered as microcredentials. This modular design enables organisations to implement targeted training aligned with workforce capability needs, while also providing a pathway for learners to progressively build competencies toward completion of the full qualification. DISCUSSION This study describes the development of Australia’s first contextualised Certificate III education and training qualification for peer health navigators, designed to support a safe, consistent and scalable workforce implementation across health and community service settings. Drawing on evidence from a systematic review, co-design with consumers and communities, and consultation with health professionals and subject-matter experts, the curriculum reflects a capability-based approach to workforce development that aligns with both vocational education and training requirements and the emerging needs of peer health navigator roles in Australia. The curriculum emphasises relational practice, communication, cultural responsiveness, safe work practice, empowerment, advocacy, system navigation, and professional continuity which are the capabilities we consistently identified, in both the literature and through stakeholder consultations, as central to effective navigation roles. The new education and training curriculum addresses the lack of recognised foundational training for peer health navigators in Australia, an issue that is common across many countries [ 16 , 22 ]. Importantly, it contains units that address training needs specific to the Australian context, including overviews of the Australian health and social care system and the regulations, ethics and rights that apply to clients in this context. In addition, the curriculum supports both the understanding of and enabling of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural safety. This curriculum reflects the complexity of real-world navigation practice and the diverse contexts in which these roles operate but places the work within the Australian context. By embedding the identified capabilities within a nationally recognised vocational qualification, the curriculum provides a structured pathway for workforce development while maintaining flexibility for implementation across community, primary care, virtual care and hospital settings. There are several strengths and limitations to our approach to the curriculum design and development. The curriculum was comprehensively informed by multiple sources of evidence, including international literature, co-design with stakeholders and culturally diverse communities, and review by subject-matter experts to ensure accuracy, cultural relevance, safety and feasibility. Using an existing Certificate III qualification facilitated the development of an education and training pathway aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework for accreditation. This pragmatic approach allowed our team to rapidly address a gap in the Australian health system, where peer health and social care navigation roles are expanding yet formal education and training pathways are limited. However, a recognised qualification specific for peer health and social care navigators may support role clarity, workforce continuity and full integration of peer health navigators into multidisciplinary care teams. In addition, future research should examine implementation, learner outcomes, competency development and the impact of certified health and social care navigators on service access, patient experience and health equity. As health care systems continue to adopt health navigator models to address fragmentation, patient equity and access challenges, the development of structured and contextually relevant education and training pathways will be critical. This curriculum provides a foundation for building a sustainable peer health navigator workforce in Australia and offers a model that may be adapted for emerging peer navigator roles to support care coordination across health and social care systems. Conclusion This study describes the development of Australia’s first co-designed vocational education and training program for peer health navigators, aligned with both workforce capability requirements and the Australian vocational education and training system. By embedding peer health navigation capabilities within a nationally recognised Certificate III qualification, this work provides an important foundation for the sustainable growth of a qualified and experienced peer health navigator workforce. The curriculum not only reflects the foundational capabilities required for safe client engagement, communication, culturally responsive practice, workplace safety and professional continuity in real world practice, it also responds to the current lack of structured training for health navigation roles in Australia. As health systems increasingly adopt peer navigation models to address fragmentation, access barriers and health inequities, structured and contextually relevant education and training programs will be essential. Future research should focus on the evaluation of the implementation, learner outcomes and the impact of peer health navigators on service access, patient experience and health equity. Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethics approval for this study was granted by the Northern Health Low Risk Ethics Committee (HREC/87830/NH-2022). Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to participation in interviews, focus groups, and co-design workshops. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Funding This work was funded by a Workforce Training and Innovation Fund grant through the Victorian Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions. Author Contribution RLJ conceptualised the study, led the overall program of research, and drafted the manuscript. SS led the curriculum development and contributed to data collection, analysis, and manuscript review. NC contributed to data collection, analysis, and manuscript review. JL contributed to stakeholder consultation and manuscript review. KP led vocational education and training expertise and curriculum development and reviewed the manuscript. FH contributed to co-design workshops and manuscript review. HM contributed to co-design workshops, data collection and analysis, and manuscript review. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgement The authors gratefully acknowledge the subject matter experts who contributed to the review and development of curriculum units and modules. The authors also acknowledge A. Elliot, L. Shwaita, C. Stevenson, W. Albourd, and L. Kaivaha for their valuable end-user review and feedback on draft module content.The authors thank all consumers, health navigators, health professionals, managers, and community members who participated in interviews, focus groups, and co-design workshops. Their insights were central to the development of this curriculum. Data Availability The curriculum materials (units and modules) described in this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Qualitative data generated during interviews, focus groups, and co-design workshops are not publicly available due to participant confidentiality. References Wijekulasuriya S, et al. Working between systems: an umbrella review of care navigator roles and responsibilities. Front Health Serv. 2025;5:1632307. Shwaita L, et al. Co-Designing a Peer Navigator Role to Improve Equity in Healthcare Access for Pacific Islander, Māori and Arabic Communities in Australia. Health Expect. 2026;29(1):e70351. Henderson S, Kendall E. Culturally and linguistically diverse peoples’ knowledge of accessibility and utilisation of health services: exploring the need for improvement in health service delivery. Aust J Prim Health. 2011;17(2):195–201. Mistry SK, Harris E, Harris MF. Scoping the needs, roles and implementation of bilingual community navigators in general practice settings. Health Soc Care Commun. 2022;30(6):e5495–505. Roussy V, et al. 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Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers invited by journal 23 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 23 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 15 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 14 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 14 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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These individuals are also commonly referred to as patient navigators, however this term also encompasses health and social care professionals trained to work with consumers across care systems [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. The contributions of peer health navigators are particularly vital for underserved or hard-to-reach populations who often experience fragmented care, communication barriers, or low health literacy [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. In Australia, peer navigation roles have traditionally been embedded within community-based services [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR4 CR5\" citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e], with Aboriginal Health Workers and mental health peer workers representing two of the formalised and widely recognised navigator workforces in Australia.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGlobally, the use of lay peer navigators has been established for more than three decades. Internationally, navigators have contributed to maternal and child health improvements, chronic disease self-management, and access to communicable and non-communicable disease care [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR8\" citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. These roles span consumers with disease-specific needs such as for cancer, HIV or mental health, in primary care, emergency department and broader service models [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR11 CR12 CR13 CR14\" citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e]. Cooperation within health and social care systems has been identified as an important facilitator for the integration of and success of these roles [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite the effectiveness of peer navigator programs globally, formal recognition and structured education and training pathways for these roles remain limited across the Australian health system. Recent health and social care system pressures, particularly those highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, have reinforced the importance of roles that promote equitable access and support individuals to navigate increasingly complex health and social care environments [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]. Existing initiatives in Australia demonstrate the value of culturally grounded, community-led navigation models, and several peak bodies have formally recognised the importance of peer navigators in supporting the provision of coordinated care services, including the cancer and disability sectors [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite the growing evidence of effectiveness, Australia currently has no nationally recognised qualification to support recognised capability development to enable peer navigators to work safely and effectively across diverse settings, including community organisations, primary care, virtual care and health and social services more broadly.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn response to this gap, we undertook a multi-phase program of research and curriculum development to create Australia\u0026rsquo;s first contextualised Certificate III in Community Services (Health Navigator) qualification. This work sought to establish an evidence-informed vocational pathway to support the safe, scalable and culturally responsive integration of peer health navigators across health systems.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe aim of this study was to describe the co-design and development of this qualification, including the rationale for unit selection, the capability domains underpinning the curriculum and the structure and content of the resulting modules. A secondary aim was to describe the formative end-user review undertaken to refine draft module content and usability.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"METHODS","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStudy design\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe multi-stage, mixed-methods design integrated evidence from a systematic review, co-design, subject selection and curriculum co-development with subject matter experts (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). This approach ensured that the resulting education and training program was grounded in international best practice, informed by the experiences and needs of consumers, health professionals, health administrators and community representatives in Australia, aligned with the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) level 3 for vocational education requirements, and responsive to real-world usability.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e*Base certification included mandatory units: contextualised to the health navigator role\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003ewas granted by the Northern Health Low Risk Ethics Committee (HREC/87830/NH-2022).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eContext and rationale for qualification structure\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn existing CHC32015 Certificate III in Community Services was chosen as the qualification structure for the development of a peer health navigation curriculum. The Certificate III in Community Services offered strong alignment with the scope and nature of peer health navigation roles, which are non-clinical, relational, and centred on communication, cultural responsiveness, care coordination, and problem-solving. The qualification contained the core units relevant to navigation practice, enabling the project team to contextualise content, rather than duplicate or recreate foundational capabilities, while ensuring the curriculum met the Australian Qualifications Framework requirements.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe decision to a Certificate III qualification reflected the regulatory constraints of the Australian vocational education and training system, in which only national industry bodies, Job Skills Councils (JSCs) and Commonwealth, state, and territory Skills Ministers, together, can initiate the creation of new training packages. Developing an entirely new qualification would have required an extensive multi-year national consultation and endorsement process, falling outside both the scope and timeline of the Victorian Workforce Training and Innovation Fund initiative.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBuilding on an established qualification also allowed for expedited accreditation of a nationally recognised qualification that could be immediately implemented to supporting this emerging workforce. This approach allowed resources to be directed toward high-quality instructional design and culturally relevant module development, while enabling rapid implementation and early workforce testing that would not have been possible through the creation of a new education and training package.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eData sources\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eSystematic review\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA recent systematic review of international lay and peer navigator training programs conducted in high-income countries (2007\u0026ndash;2025) synthesised the skills, capabilities and training content addressed in navigator preparation. The final review included 93 studies and identified 12 common training content areas, which can be conceptually grouped into three overarching domains: interpersonal capabilities (communication, counselling, patient empowerment), role-specific navigation skills (assessment, referral, care coordination, condition-specific knowledge), and general professional competencies (documentation, confidentiality, organisational requirements, cultural competency and equity). The review also highlighted substantial variability in reporting quality of included studies, and limited detail regarding training structure and delivery.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eInterviews and focus groups\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA series of interviews and focus groups were undertaken with key stakeholder groups to understand the design, delivery, and integration of health navigator roles. The interview guide was part of previous studies that have been published elsewhere [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. Semi-structured interviews with consumers (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;16) explored their experiences of navigating health systems and their views on the attributes and skills needed in a health navigator [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. Two focus groups with health navigators (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;8) from both the public health system and a private insurer examined role expectations, education and training requirements and practical experiences [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. An additional focus group with health professionals (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;11) explored the perceived value of navigation roles, safe work practice and communication considerations, supervision and support, together with the challenges in integrating these roles into existing health care pathways [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. Interviews with managers and subject-matter experts (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;17) further explored role design, workforce integration, supervision models, and organisational readiness to support navigator implementation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. The managers and subject-matter experts represented a diverse range of perspectives across health and social care sectors including chronic disease, disability, aged care, mental health, cancer care, and community-based support services.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn addition, co-design workshops were conducted with culturally and linguistically diverse community members to better understand barriers to health care access and the potential role for bicultural peer health navigators. Two sets of workshops were conducted separately with Arabic-speaking community members and with Pacific Islander and Māori community members (six workshops in total, n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;46) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"RESULTS","content":"\u003cp\u003eFindings from the systematic review, interviews, focus groups, and co-design workshops informed the development of a capability framework and a mapped set of competencies aligned with vocational education requirements. These informed the co-development of the full curriculum consisting of 12 units (33 modules) within a Certificate III in Community Services qualification.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe first five units comprised core mandatory subjects common to Community Services qualifications, contextualised to health navigation practice (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). These units focused on foundational capabilities required for safe client engagement, communication, culturally responsive practice, workplace safety and professional continuity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverview of final core subjects in the vocational education and training package\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit #\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit Code\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit Name\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule #\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule Name\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCHCCCS016\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRespond to client needs\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBuilding relationships and assessing care needs\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResponding to and addressing client needs\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCHCCOM005\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCommunicate and work in health or community services\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCommunicate effectively\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCommunication barriers and constraints\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWorkplace documents and continuous improvements\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit 3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCHCDIV001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWork with diverse people\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWork with awareness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnderstanding diversity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWorking with empathy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit 4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHLTWHS002\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFollow safe work practices for direct client care\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFollow safe work practices\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSafe manual handling techniques\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFollow infection control procedure at work\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit 5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHLTWHS006\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eManage personal stressors in the work environment\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eManaging personal stress\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eImplementing stress management strategies\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvaluating stress reducing strategies\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe remaining seven elective units were selected based on alignment with stakeholder consultation findings and the identified capability framework. All units were reviewed by at least one, and in most cases two, subject-matter experts to ensure accuracy, cultural relevance, safety, and feasibility for implementation within health navigation roles (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverview of final elective subjects in the vocational education and training package\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit #\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit Code\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit Name\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule #\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule Name\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit 6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCHCCCS038\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFacilitate the empowerment of people receiving support\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe rights of people receiving support\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHealth and self-determination of people receiving support\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit 7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCHCDIV002\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePromote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExploring indigenous culture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCultural safety strategies\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit 8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCHCMHS001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWork with people with mental health issues\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe basics of mental health\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWorking in the mental health sector\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupporting people with mental health issues\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit 9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCHCCCS019\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRecognise and respond to crisis situations\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRecognising crisis situations, indicators and safety issues\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eResponding to crisis situations\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eClient referrals and self-care\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit 10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCHCADV001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFacilitate the interests and rights of clients\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe rights, interests and needs of clients\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdvocate and support clients\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eComplaints\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit 11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCHCCCS001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAddress the needs of people with chronic disease\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEstablish the needs of persons with chronic disease\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupport the person in a holistic manner\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eContribute to a coordinated service approach\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnit 12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCHCPRP005\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEngage with health professionals and the health system\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUse health care systems and services\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInteract with health professionals\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModule 3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMake referrals to health professionals\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCurriculum content overview\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe final curriculum was designed to develop the core capabilities required for effective health navigation practice including relational care, communication, cultural responsiveness, safe work practice, empowerment, advocacy, health and social system navigation and professional continuity. Unit-level summaries of curriculum content are provided below:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eUnit 1: Respond to client needs\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis unit develops foundational navigation practice skills, including relationship-building, assessment of client needs, recognition of risk indicators, and coordination of appropriate supports and referrals within scope of practice. It includes an overview of the structure of the Australian health care system, and relevant legislation and ethical responsibilities in this context.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eUnit 2: Communicate and work in health or community services\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis unit develops interpersonal communication, professional collaboration, and documentation skills required to support clients, carers and service providers across health and community settings.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eUnit 3: Work with diverse people\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis unit develops cultural awareness, inclusive practice and communication skills to support people from diverse cultural, linguistic and social backgrounds.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eUnit 4: Follow safe work practices for direct client care\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis unit develops knowledge and skills related to workplace health and safety, including hazard identification, manual handling, infection prevention and incident reporting in client-facing environments.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eUnit 5: Manage personal stressors in the work environment\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis unit focuses on professional sustainability, supporting learners to recognise workplace stressors, implement self-care strategies and maintain wellbeing when working in emotionally demanding roles.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eUnit 6: Facilitate the empowerment of people receiving support\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis unit develops understanding of human rights, self-determination, person-centred practice and shared decision-making in health navigation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eUnit 7: Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis unit develops knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and health contexts, and builds skills for culturally safe practice and respectful engagement with communities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eUnit 8: Work with people with mental health issues\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis unit introduces mental health concepts, recovery-oriented practice and communication strategies to support people experiencing mental health challenges.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eUnit 9: Recognise and respond to crisis situations\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis unit develops skills in recognising crisis indicators, responding safely and appropriately, supporting referrals, and maintaining professional boundaries and self-care.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eUnit 10: Facilitate the interests and rights of clients\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis unit focuses on advocacy, supporting client rights, assisting with complaints processes, and enabling participation in decision-making.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eUnit 11: Address the needs of people with chronic disease\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis unit develops knowledge of chronic disease management, holistic support approaches, self-management and coordinated care across services.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec21\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eUnit 12: Engage with health professionals and the health system\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis unit focuses on navigating health services, communicating with professionals, and supporting referrals and coordination across the health system.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe curriculum has been designed to support flexible delivery across education and workforce contexts. While the full program can be delivered as the CHC32015 Certificate III qualification, individual modules have been intentionally structured as stand-alone learning components that can be delivered as microcredentials. This modular design enables organisations to implement targeted training aligned with workforce capability needs, while also providing a pathway for learners to progressively build competencies toward completion of the full qualification.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"DISCUSSION","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study describes the development of Australia\u0026rsquo;s first contextualised Certificate III education and training qualification for peer health navigators, designed to support a safe, consistent and scalable workforce implementation across health and community service settings. Drawing on evidence from a systematic review, co-design with consumers and communities, and consultation with health professionals and subject-matter experts, the curriculum reflects a capability-based approach to workforce development that aligns with both vocational education and training requirements and the emerging needs of peer health navigator roles in Australia.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe curriculum emphasises relational practice, communication, cultural responsiveness, safe work practice, empowerment, advocacy, system navigation, and professional continuity which are the capabilities we consistently identified, in both the literature and through stakeholder consultations, as central to effective navigation roles. The new education and training curriculum addresses the lack of recognised foundational training for peer health navigators in Australia, an issue that is common across many countries [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. Importantly, it contains units that address training needs specific to the Australian context, including overviews of the Australian health and social care system and the regulations, ethics and rights that apply to clients in this context. In addition, the curriculum supports both the understanding of and enabling of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural safety. This curriculum reflects the complexity of real-world navigation practice and the diverse contexts in which these roles operate but places the work within the Australian context. By embedding the identified capabilities within a nationally recognised vocational qualification, the curriculum provides a structured pathway for workforce development while maintaining flexibility for implementation across community, primary care, virtual care and hospital settings.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere are several strengths and limitations to our approach to the curriculum design and development. The curriculum was comprehensively informed by multiple sources of evidence, including international literature, co-design with stakeholders and culturally diverse communities, and review by subject-matter experts to ensure accuracy, cultural relevance, safety and feasibility. Using an existing Certificate III qualification facilitated the development of an education and training pathway aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework for accreditation. This pragmatic approach allowed our team to rapidly address a gap in the Australian health system, where peer health and social care navigation roles are expanding yet formal education and training pathways are limited. However, a recognised qualification specific for peer health and social care navigators may support role clarity, workforce continuity and full integration of peer health navigators into multidisciplinary care teams. In addition, future research should examine implementation, learner outcomes, competency development and the impact of certified health and social care navigators on service access, patient experience and health equity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs health care systems continue to adopt health navigator models to address fragmentation, patient equity and access challenges, the development of structured and contextually relevant education and training pathways will be critical. This curriculum provides a foundation for building a sustainable peer health navigator workforce in Australia and offers a model that may be adapted for emerging peer navigator roles to support care coordination across health and social care systems.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study describes the development of Australia\u0026rsquo;s first co-designed vocational education and training program for peer health navigators, aligned with both workforce capability requirements and the Australian vocational education and training system. By embedding peer health navigation capabilities within a nationally recognised Certificate III qualification, this work provides an important foundation for the sustainable growth of a qualified and experienced peer health navigator workforce.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe curriculum not only reflects the foundational capabilities required for safe client engagement, communication, culturally responsive practice, workplace safety and professional continuity in real world practice, it also responds to the current lack of structured training for health navigation roles in Australia. As health systems increasingly adopt peer navigation models to address fragmentation, access barriers and health inequities, structured and contextually relevant education and training programs will be essential. Future research should focus on the evaluation of the implementation, learner outcomes and the impact of peer health navigators on service access, patient experience and health equity.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":" \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003e This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethics approval for this study was granted by the Northern Health Low Risk Ethics Committee (HREC/87830/NH-2022). Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to participation in interviews, focus groups, and co-design workshops.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003ch2\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFunding\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis work was funded by a Workforce Training and Innovation Fund grant through the Victorian Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eRLJ conceptualised the study, led the overall program of research, and drafted the manuscript. SS led the curriculum development and contributed to data collection, analysis, and manuscript review. NC contributed to data collection, analysis, and manuscript review. JL contributed to stakeholder consultation and manuscript review. KP led vocational education and training expertise and curriculum development and reviewed the manuscript. FH contributed to co-design workshops and manuscript review. HM contributed to co-design workshops, data collection and analysis, and manuscript review. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe authors gratefully acknowledge the subject matter experts who contributed to the review and development of curriculum units and modules. The authors also acknowledge A. Elliot, L. Shwaita, C. Stevenson, W. Albourd, and L. Kaivaha for their valuable end-user review and feedback on draft module content.The authors thank all consumers, health navigators, health professionals, managers, and community members who participated in interviews, focus groups, and co-design workshops. Their insights were central to the development of this curriculum.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe curriculum materials (units and modules) described in this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Qualitative data generated during interviews, focus groups, and co-design workshops are not publicly available due to participant confidentiality.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWijekulasuriya S, et al. Working between systems: an umbrella review of care navigator roles and responsibilities. Front Health Serv. 2025;5:1632307.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShwaita L, et al. Co-Designing a Peer Navigator Role to Improve Equity in Healthcare Access for Pacific Islander, Māori and Arabic Communities in Australia. Health Expect. 2026;29(1):e70351.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHenderson S, Kendall E. Culturally and linguistically diverse peoples\u0026rsquo; knowledge of accessibility and utilisation of health services: exploring the need for improvement in health service delivery. Aust J Prim Health. 2011;17(2):195\u0026ndash;201.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMistry SK, Harris E, Harris MF. Scoping the needs, roles and implementation of bilingual community navigators in general practice settings. Health Soc Care Commun. 2022;30(6):e5495\u0026ndash;505.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRoussy V, et al. Evaluation of the C-19 Consortium's provision of COVID-19 Rapid Response Testing Teams (RRTT), Rapid Response Community Engagement Teams (RRCETs) and vaccination. EACH and LaTrobe University; 2022.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCoHealth. \u003cem\u003eCoHealth's Bi-cultural Program 2021\u0026thinsp;\u0026ndash;\u0026thinsp;2020 Evaluation Report.\u003c/em\u003e 2022.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLewin S, et al. Lay health workers in primary and community health care: Cochrane systematic review. Int J Epidemiol. 2005;34(6):1250\u0026ndash;1.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLewin S, et al. Lay health workers in primary and community health care for maternal and child health and the management of infectious diseases. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;2010(3):CD004015.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJessup RL, et al. Impact of Clinician-Supported Peer Health Navigation on Hospital Resource Utilisation amongst High Risk Adults: A Pragmatic Propensity-Score Matching Study. Int J Integr Care. 2026;26(1):3.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHill J, et al. Roles, responsibilities and characteristics of lay community health workers involved in diabetes prevention programmes: a systematic review. PLoS ONE. 2017;12(12):e0189069.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSeneviratne MG, Hersch F, Peiris DP. HealthNavigator: a mobile application for chronic disease screening and linkage to services at an urban Primary Health Network. Aust J Prim Health. 2018;24(2):116\u0026ndash;22.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWaid J, Halpin K, Donaldson R. Mental health service navigation: a scoping review of programmatic features and research evidence. Social Work Mental Health. 2021;19(1):60\u0026ndash;79.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCarter N, et al. Navigation delivery models and roles of navigators in primary care: a scoping literature review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):96.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWells KJ, et al. What are patient navigators doing, for whom, and where? A national survey evaluating the types of services provided by patient navigators. Patient Educ Couns. 2018;101(2):285\u0026ndash;94.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJessup RL, et al. Implementation of a peer health navigator program for patients at risk for frequent hospitalisation. BMC geriatrics; 2026.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eScott K, et al. What do we know about community-based health worker programs? A systematic review of existing reviews on community health workers. Hum Resour health. 2018;16(1):39.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJessup RL, et al. Peer Health Navigators to improve equity and access to health care in Australia: Can we build on successes from the COVID-19 pandemic? Aust N Z J Public Health. 2024;48(2):100128.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAustralia C. Australian Cancer Plan (Summary). Cancer Australia, Surry Hills NSW; 2023.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGovernment V. NDIS Navigators. Policy and Advisory Library; 2026.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCvetanovska N, Said S, Jessup RL. Exploring the role of peer health navigators in the Australian health system: A qualitative interview study. Health Expect. 2025;28(5):e70453.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSaid S, et al. Attributes, skills and resources required for peer health navigator roles: A qualitative study of the perspective of patients, healthcare professionals and health navigators. Patient Educ Couns. 2025;138:109201.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUstjanauskas AE, et al. Training in patient navigation: a review of the research literature. Health Promot Pract. 2016;17(3):373\u0026ndash;81.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-medical-education","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"meed","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Medical Education](http://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/meed/default.aspx","title":"BMC Medical Education","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"health navigator, patient navigator, peer navigator, peer support, health training, health education, workforce development","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9349836/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9349836/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeer health navigators (lay patient navigators) are increasingly used to support consumers to access and navigate health and social care systems, particularly for populations experiencing barriers to care. Despite growing evidence of their effectiveness, Australia lacks a nationally recognised education and training pathway to support consistent capability development for this emerging health workforce. This study describes the co-design and development of Australia\u0026rsquo;s first contextualised vocational education and training program for peer health navigators.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e A multi-stage, mixed-methods approach integrated evidence from a systematic review of international peer health navigator education and/or training programs, stakeholder interviews, focus groups, co-design workshops with culturally and linguistically diverse communities and curriculum co-development with subject matter experts. Findings informed the development of a capability framework for peer health navigators as well as the selection and contextualisation of units within a Certificate III in Community Services qualification specific for the education and training of peer health navigators.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe resulting curriculum comprised 12 units (33 modules) aligned with vocational education requirements and the identified capabilities and competencies required for the training of vocationally recognised practice of health navigators. Core units focused on communication, working with diverse individuals, safe work practice, and maintaining professional continuity, while elective units addressed knowledge and skills development for consumer empowerment and advocacy, addressing cultural safety, working with mental health and crisis situations, and appropriate engagement with health services and specific consumer needs such as chronic disease support. All units underwent expert review to ensure relevance, cultural responsiveness, safety, and feasibility.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis work establishes a structured, nationally recognised education and training pathway to support the integration of peer health navigators across health and community service settings in Australia. The curriculum provides a foundation for workforce development in this emerging area of practice. Future research should evaluate implementation, learner outcomes and the impact of vocationally trained peer health navigators on service access, consumer experience and health equity.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Co-designed development of a vocational education and training program for peer health and social care navigators in Australia","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-05-08 16:14:09","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9349836/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-24T00:41:38+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-04-24T00:35:14+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-15T12:52:23+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-04-14T23:40:26+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Medical Education","date":"2026-04-14T23:36:38+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-medical-education","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"meed","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Medical Education](http://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/meed/default.aspx","title":"BMC Medical Education","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"4e31e6a7-7332-4e61-ac0c-fbd2a314e208","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 8th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-08T16:14:09+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-05-08 16:14:09","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9349836","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9349836","identity":"rs-9349836","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}