In the province of Nova Scotia, CCAs are not regulated by legislation or governed by a regulatory body; therefore, responsibility for issues related to public interest and governance rests largely with the employer.

In the absence of a governing body, the Department of Health and Wellness (DHW) supports and provides oversight for the CCA Program including education, certification process, and CCA Registry.  The Continuing Care Assistant Program Advisory Committee (CCAPAC) acts in an advisory capacity and makes recommendations to the DHW on policy matters relating to the CCA Program.  CCA Program Administration at Health Association Nova Scotia (HANS) operationalize the CCA Program under the direction of Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness (DHW) and Continuing Care Assistant Program Advisory Committee.

The CCA Program continually evolves to meet the increasing complexities in care to support the needs of the evolving health care system.  Industry has been instrumental in the CCA Program’s evolution by providing guidance during the Program revisions as well as feedback between revisions. The guidance industry provides is pivotal to clarify learning expectations and promote education consistency, enhancing the Program’s ability to meet industry’s needs.  The continued evolution of the education is directly aligned with the CCA Scope of Practice and Competency Framework.

The CCA Program offers the certified CCA more employment options while providing the client with improved care and assistance by qualified individuals that meet provincially established standards.  CCA Certification is the education required to work as a personal care provider in most DHW Continuing Care funded service providers.  CCA Certification is also the required education for Care Team Assistance (CTA) position in the acute care environment.  Although the scope of employment may vary from sector to sector and even employer to employer, in general a Certified CCAs role in health care follows the CCA Scope of Practice and Competency Framework.