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The table below outlines the key fields that need to be completed as part of the eCAF workflow:

Field Name

Description

Sample Data

eCAF

Electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form, More commonly known as Fee-Help Form or HECS-HELP form. This replaces the paper based forms and other internal electronic forms.


FEE-HELP

Fee-Help is a loan Scheme that assists eligible students to pay all or part of their tuition fees. This loan is subject to 25% Government loading

For more information on Fee-Help click here

HECS-HELP

HECS-HELP is a loan scheme to help Commonwealth Supported students to pay their student contribution amounts through and loan or upfront discounts. This loan has no Government loading


API

Application Programming Interface. Part of a server that receives and requests and sends responses. Here it is a programmed link between Paradigm and the HEIMS  / Government E-CAF System

Login details received from the Government to link Paradigm to the E-CAF portal

HEIMS Census date

The date after which a student incurs a debt for the unit(s) of study in which they have been enrolled

This date can not be set less than 20% of the duration of the teaching period as outlined in the HESA and AIP


HITS provider code

Each provider is given a Unique 4 digit identifying code that is used in HEPCAT / HITS, this data is stored in the provider tab in Paradigm.


Element Numbers

Unique identifiers of required data / questions asked by the Government in order to provide accurate data  on Students, Courses, units and providers. These are used with in Paradigm and HEPCAT to help in ensuring data integrity across all providers. A full list can be viewed

A full list of these can be viewed here.

Each Element number refers to a data field within Paradigm.

However not every field has an elements. These fields contain non-reportable data.

HEIMS Course code

E307  - The code assigned by the provider to uniquely identify a course of Study. This code is used in HEPCAT reporting


CHESSN Number

A commonwealth Higher Education student number (CHESSN) is a 10 digit number provided by the Australian Government to all students who are in receipt of either HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP. It is a unique number that remains with the student regardless of if they change institutions. This means that HELP debts can be tracked to ensure that the student does not exceed their allocation.


Workflow

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title1. How to Submit an eCAF for completion

How to Submit an eCAF for completion
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Note

Before commencing this process please ensure that the relevant entry criteria for the student’s admission in in the students file (ideally e-file). This is required for entry criteria transparency reporting. You will need to know by what method the student was accepted to complete this process.

  1. Load the Student’s record

  2. Click the Action button on the right hand side next to the course that the student is applying for a HELP loan.

  3. Select the Edit Course Enrolment option

  4. Click the Action button on the right hand side of the course of study that the student is applying for a HELP loan. the Action menu will open

  5. Click on the Online eCAF submission option

  6. Scroll down to the Student and program Enrolment Details used for eCAF Registration section

  7. Scroll down to the eCAF Academic suitability drop box and select the method that the students was accepted via.

  8. Click the Request eCAF button.

  9. The student is then sent an email invitation with an encrypted Passkey to complete the the HELP form.

  10. Students will require their Passkey, and valid TFN to complete the form.

  11. Ensure the success message appears.

Expand
title2. How to Retrieve an eCAF

How to Retrieve an eCAF
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How-to-Retrieve-an-eCAF

  1. Load the Student’s record

  2. Click the Action button on the right hand side next to the course that the student is applying for a HELP loan.

  3. Select the Edit Course Enrolment option

  4. Click the Action button on the right hand side of the course of study that the student is applying for a HELP loan. the Action menu will open

  5. Click on the Online eCAF submission option

  6. Click on the Fetch eCAF Status button.

  7. Check the green bar at the top of the screen for a status message:

  8. If the student has not yet complete the form a green bar will appear with one of these messages

    • Invitation sent: the student has not started the process

    • Form in Draft: the student has commenced the form but not yet completed it.

  9. If the student has completed the form a green bar will appear with an eCAF remote number

  10. Click the Student tab in the side menu

  11. Click the Student details option in the side menu

  12. Click the Edit details option

  13. Click the Get CHESSN No button

  14. Check the received information for any errors

  15. Click the Request balance button

  16. Check the students remaining Fee-Help availability.

Info

Please note: Fee-Help balance field indicates remaining balance NOT consumed amount and will decrease after each reporting period. To check the current balance click the request balance button. This field will only update when the button is clicked. And only update for the currently loaded student.

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title3. How to Enable the Paradigm eCAF integration

How to Enable the Paradigm eCAF integration
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3.-How-to-Enable-the-Paradigm-eCAF-integration

Paradigm has the capability of submitting an electronic eCAF on behalf of a student. This functionality requires a specific type of access to the eCAF website called "API System Access". Providers wishing to implement a direct integration between Paradigm and the government eCAF site must complete the following form: https://docs.education.gov.au/documents/government-ecaf-api-system-access-request-form

Note

Note that the completed form should be emailed to HEenquiries@education.gov.au

Once the request is approved, you will receive from the government a set of testing credentials and a series of steps that you must complete before receiving live system access.

Please forward a copy of the login details to the Silverband support team by raising a ticket directly in our Helpdesk site. Our support team will confirm when the account details have been added to your site and will ensure that your instance of Paradigm is directed to use the test eCAF system. Once you receive this advice, you should then proceed through the remaining steps to demonstrate that your site is in a compliant configuration state.

After successfully completing all of the steps you will receive a final set of access credentials from the government. These should be forwarded to the Silverband support team as per the instructions above. We will then ensure your site is directed to use the live eCAF system and ready to be used in a production capacity.

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