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Objective

Upon Completion of this KB the User will understand This page provides a detailed workflow on how to submit an electronic Commonwealth assistance form Assistance Form (eCAF) request to the Government via Paradigm on behalf of a student.

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Page Contents

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Assumptions

  • The Student has already been accepted into a Course and has been enrolled into units with a Census date in the future

  • The Student has declared their intention to defer course fees to the Government 

  • eCAF type determined from HEIMS e490 field on the course enrolment record

  • The system will use the minimum (closest) unit enrolment census date that has not yet elapsed

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Background information

The eCAF  (Electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form) supersedes the need to have students complete paper based forms for both FEE-HELP and HECS-HELP. Previously other eCAF methods were accepted by HEIMS but these are being phased out. Providers are therefore required to submit eCAF information either directly into the HEIMS eCAF portal or via the Paradigm eCAF integration.

The order of processing an application is important when using the Government's Online eCAF  portaleCAF portal. If a student isn’t has enrolled into the unit(s) that a census date isn’t was not allocated and , then the system won’t will not allow transmission of the details for the student invitation. The institutions application process might need to be updated or altered in order to allow for the required information to be gathered prior to the eCAF  submissioneCAF submission.

  • Student applies to study a course, indicated that they wish to apply for Fee-HELP /HECS-HELP and provides the evidence of Academic suitability - ATAR score, transcripts, SOA, or other documentation to prove eligibility . (These are required by the Government and providers are required to keep these documents as evidence of acceptance suitability)

  • Student is accepted by the institution then enrolled into units / subjects.

  • The provider then submits details to HEIMS that the student should be sent an invitation to complete an eCAF  eCAF.

  • The student is then sent an email with an Encrypted PASS-KEY to complete the required information including a valid Tax File Number (TFN)

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Application process flowchart

Note

Be advised

Please note: A Student must be enrolled into enrol in a unit of study with a Census date in the future before submitting an eCAF can be submitted to the Government. Students must return the completed form Prior prior to the census date to be obtain a valid form / enrolment.

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

Field Name

Description

Sample Data

ECAFeCAF

Electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form, More commonly known as Fee-Help Form or HECS-HELP form


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

Expand
title1. How to Submit an eCAF for completion

  1. Load a Student 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 Enrolment option

  4. Once the record has loaded press the action button on the right hand side of the course of study that the student is applying for a HELP loan.

  5. Select the “Online eCAF  submission” option

  6. All of the previously completed fields will load into the options on the screen. If anything has been missed or is incorrect go back and correct it prior to proceeding any further. Ensure that the eCAF Academic suitability has been selected and that the relevant documentation is held in the students file as it is a requirement for entry criteria transparency.

  7. Click the Request eCAF button.

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

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

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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

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Please forward a copy of the login details to the Silverband support team via email (support@silverband.com.au) or 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.

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