REMINDER: New Classifications + Wage Increases for Educators & Dental Assistants

In the lead up to Christmas, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) issued determinations to vary the Children’s Services Award 2010 and the Health Professionals & Support Services Award 2020, to usher in revised classifications and wage increases for Children’s Services Employees and Dental Assistants, with the first increases taking effect from 1 March and 1 April respectively.

The substantial changes result from the gender-based undervaluation – priority awards review process, which also stands to significantly impact the Social, Community, Home Care & Disability Services Industry Award 2010, though proceedings in relation to replacing the classification structure of this award are ongoing. In the meantime, employers in the community services sector should be preparing for changes to the existing sleepover provisions, as flagged in a separate pre-Christmas decision of the FWC (operative date yet to be determined).

Children’s Services Award 2010 (CS Award)

From the first full pay period commencing (ppc) on or after 1 March 2026 the CS Award will be varied to include a brand new, simplified classification structure for all Children’s Services Employees, and flow on wage increases spread across 3 years, with the first instalment (being 5% in most instances) also taking effect from ppc 1 March 2026.

Employees engaged as Cooks who are required to hold, or be actively working towards, an approved early childhood education and care qualification and who may be required at any time to work directly with children to maintain educator-to-child ratios will need to be assigned the appropriate classification for a Children’s Services Employee (as per the revised classification structure) and paid accordingly from ppc 1 March 2026. Other employees classified as Support Workers (e.g. bus drivers, cleaners, kitchenhands, admin employees, etc) have been excluded from reclassification and will not receive wage increases as part of this process.

Trainee rates of pay will not be impacted but rates applicable to juniors (who are not engaged as trainees) will increase in accordance with the increase to the adult rate the junior percentages are applied to, designated as the new Level 2 – Educator.

The broken shift and first aid allowances will be subject to minimal increases (no more than a few cents) from ppc 1 March 2026, while the Qualifications Allowance (existing clause 15.6) will be deleted altogether.

A small number of existing classifications (mainly within Level 6 – Director level) will have their applicable minimum rate preserved, to prevent any employee suffering a reduction in pay because of the new classification structure coming into force.

Refer to our earlier news post for more information or utilise our summary sheet – circulated to Subscribers by email in January – to reclassify employees in preparation for 1 March.

The Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 is not impacted by these changes. 

Health Professionals & Support Services Award 2020 (HPSS Award)

From the first full pay period commencing (ppc) on or after 1 April 2026 the HPSS Award will be varied to realign the classification levels for employees engaged as Dental Assistants, which in turn will flow on wage increases for these workers over the course of the next 12 months, with the first adjustment to minimum rates taking effect ppc 1 April 2026.

The changes do not impact rates of pay or conditions for any other employees covered by the HPSS Award, other than Pathology Collectors. Note: Changes applicable to Pathology Collectors are not discussed here.

From ppc 1 April 2026, employees engaged as Dental Assistants will be (re)classified at Levels 3, 5, 6 or 7 of the HPSS Award. Some workers will be eligible to be paid the full rate of pay for their revised classification whilst others may be paid a special/lower rate through to 31 December 2026. In such instances, the full award rate will be payable from 1 January 2027, completing the wage increases awarded by the FWC to rectify identified gender-based undervaluation.

Trainee rates of pay will not be impacted, but junior rates of pay will increase from ppc 1 April 2026, for juniors classified as Dental Assistants.

Refer to our January news post for more information or utilise our summary sheet – circulated to Subscribers by email in February – to reclassify Dental Assistants in preparation for 1 April.

Social, Community, Home Care & Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (SCHADS Award)

In the week prior to Christmas, there were important developments on two separate fronts in respect of the SCHADS Award.

Employers would by now be aware that, as part of the gender-based undervaluation – priority awards review process, the FWC proposed to overhaul the existing classification streams (5 in total) and introduce a single, simplified classification structure to apply to all employees covered by the award.

When it became clear that consensus could not be reached on the proposed 9-level structure the FWC outlined in their provisional view decision prior to Easter 2025, FWC Deputy President, Bernadette O’Neill, penned a report to the Expert Panel. The report, compiled to inform a hearing held on 19 December 2025, included a proposed alternative 10-level classification structure for consideration, which the FWC has been taking submissions on throughout February, in the hope of progressing the matter towards finalisation.

Refresh on this recent development and connect to the Deputy President’s report (containing the revised 10-level classification structure, as proposed) in our earlier news post here.

Separately, on Christmas Eve, the FWC issued a draft determination reflecting its decision in respect of a long-running application which sought to vary the sleepover arrangements in the award. After wading through thousands of pages of submissions and years of formal proceedings, the FWC was ultimately satisfied that variation of the SCHADS Award was warranted to reduce the obvious disparity between interpretations being applied in practice in how sleepover shifts should be rostered and compensated.

In summary, the FWC concluded that a sleepover period should not be considered to constitute a break between shifts but, the shiftwork clause will also be varied to provide that shift penalties will only be “calculated by reference to the period of active work rather than the whole period of the shift”. The result is that reduced shift penalties will apply to sleepover shifts when performed during the week (the changes will have no tangible impact on payment of sleepover shifts performed across weekends).

Subscribers can refer to our email bulletin of 7 January (which also attached the draft determination) for comprehensive detail on the incoming changes to the sleepover provisions but it is vital to note that an operative date is yet to be confirmed and won’t be known until March at the earliest.