Are Death Doulas Regulated in Australia? What Qualifications to Look For

When someone you love is dying, the last thing you want is to hand that time over to a stranger without knowing what you are getting. Here is a plain-English guide to how death doulas are (and are not) regulated in Australia, the qualifications that actually exist, and the questions worth asking before you engage one.

The short answer

No. Death doulas, also called end-of-life doulas, are not a regulated profession in Australia. There is no government register, no licence, and no minimum qualification you need before calling yourself a doula. Palliative Care Australia has said plainly that there are currently no formal education or registration requirements for the role.

That does not mean the field is a free-for-all, though. Several layers of protection sit around doula practice, and a growing number of doulas hold formal, nationally recognised training. Knowing how these pieces fit together will help you choose well.

What a death doula does (and does not do)

A death doula offers non-medical support to a dying person and the people around them. That can include companionship and emotional support, help with advance care planning and conversations about wishes, practical help around the home, respite for carers, vigil sitting in the final days, guidance on after-death care and funeral options, and support through early grief.

What a doula should not do is provide clinical care. A doula is not a nurse or doctor, and good doulas are clear about this. They do not recommend starting or stopping treatment, administer medication, or give medical advice. Their role is to work alongside your GP, palliative care team and other health professionals, not to replace them.

Why there is no registration (yet)

In Australia, health professions such as nursing, medicine and psychology are regulated under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme, run through Ahpra and the national boards. Only a set list of professions is included, and end-of-life doulas are not one of them.

Researchers and industry leaders have discussed whether the role could one day be formally recognised under a registration scheme, with certified training as a requirement. Views within the doula community are mixed, and for now that remains a possibility rather than a plan. Each state and territory also makes its own decisions about how doulas fit into public health and palliative care services.

The safeguards that do exist

Codes of conduct for unregistered health workers

Most states and territories have adopted some version of the National Code of Conduct for health care workers. These codes set minimum standards for people who provide health services but are not registered with Ahpra. They cover things like practising safely and ethically, obtaining consent, not misleading clients, and not discouraging people from seeking other care.

In Victoria, the General Code of Conduct sits in the Health Complaints Act 2016 and has applied since February 2017. The Health Complaints Commissioner can investigate complaints, issue warnings and ban unregistered providers who pose a serious risk. New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT have their own versions, while Tasmania has been slower to implement the national code.

Whether a particular doula falls under these codes depends on the services they offer and how your state defines a health service, so it is not guaranteed. Still, if something goes seriously wrong, your state health complaints body is a sensible first call.

Industry self-regulation

Holistic End of Life and Death Care Australia (HELD) is described as the national peak body for end-of-life doulas. It publishes a code of conduct, standards and ethics, and a complaints process. Its Practitioner Members must hold an ABN and insurance, have a complaints procedure, make their fees available, and commit to 10 hours of professional development each year.

Membership of a peak body is voluntary, so it is not a guarantee of quality. But a doula who has chosen to sign up to a code of conduct and an external complaints process is signalling that they take accountability seriously.

Workplace requirements

Hospitals, hospices and aged care homes generally have their own rules for who can work with residents and patients. A doula working inside these settings may be asked for police checks, vaccination records, insurance, or proof of training. Requirements vary from place to place, so a doula who regularly works in facilities is usually well across them.

What qualifications are available?

Because there is no mandatory standard, doula training in Australia ranges from a weekend workshop to an 18-month vocational qualification. Broadly, you will see three levels.

1. Nationally accredited training

The Certificate IV in End of Life Doula Services (10966NAT) is a nationally accredited course delivered through the vocational education and training (VET) system. It was developed by Preparing the Way and has been enrolling students since 2022, and is described as the first externally accredited end-of-life doula qualification in the world. It is typically studied part-time over roughly 16 to 18 months.

Because it is nationally accredited, the course content and assessment are overseen within the regulated VET system, which gives you an independent benchmark that most other doula courses cannot offer. You can check a course code and the training provider on the national register at training.gov.au.

2. Non-accredited certificates and courses

Many reputable organisations run their own doula training that is not nationally accredited. These can still be excellent, but quality varies widely. When a doula tells you they are “certified”, it is fair to ask: certified by whom, how long was the training, did it include supervised practice, and was there any assessment?

3. Related professional backgrounds

A large share of doulas come to the work from nursing, aged care, social work, counselling, pastoral care or chaplaincy. This experience can be valuable. Keep in mind, though, that a doula who is also a registered nurse is generally not acting as a nurse in their doula role, and the scope of the service should be made clear up front.

Lived experience matters too. Many doulas found their calling after caring for someone at the end of life. That empathy is a real asset, but it works best alongside structured training.

Questions to ask before you engage a death doula

Palliative Care Australia encourages families to ask about a doula’s background, qualifications, services and fees. Here is a practical checklist to work through.

1. Training. What training have you completed, and is it nationally accredited? Ask for the course name and provider.
2. Experience. How long have you been working as a doula, and how many people have you supported?
3. Insurance. Do you hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance?
4. Checks. Do you have a current police check, and a Working with Children Check if there are children in the family?
5. Accountability. Are you a member of HELD or another professional body, and which code of conduct do you follow?
6. Scope. What exactly will you do, and what is outside your role? How do you work with our palliative care team and GP?
7. Fees. What are your fees, what do they include, and is there a written agreement?
8. Complaints. How do you handle complaints, and who can we contact if we are unhappy?
9. Back-up. What happens if you are sick or unavailable during a vigil?
10. References. Can you put us in touch with families you have supported?

Red flags to watch for

• Offering medical advice, recommending changes to medication or treatment, or discouraging you from involving doctors or palliative care.
• Vague or inflated claims about being “registered”, “licensed” or “government approved”. There is no such registration for doulas in Australia.
• No evidence of training or unsatisfactory answers regarding experience or skills. 
• Reluctance to put fees or services in writing, pressure to pay large sums up front or buy services you don’t need.
• No insurance and no way to raise a complaint.
• Pushing their own spiritual or religious beliefs rather than following the wishes of the dying person.

The bottom line

Death doulas are not regulated in Australia, so the responsibility for checking credentials sits largely with you. The good news is that the field is maturing quickly. There is now a nationally accredited qualification, a peak body with a code of conduct, and state complaints bodies that can act on serious misconduct.

A good death doula will welcome your questions, be open about their training and limits, and work as part of the wider care team. Take the time to ask, trust your instincts, and choose someone who makes you and your loved one feel genuinely supported.