Elements and Performance Criteria

Lawful instructions and regulation may include:
Restraining orders
Supervision and custody orders
Legislation

Lawful instructions may include instructions received from:
Licensing authorities
Organisational supervisor
Courts of Law

Child focussed work practices
Legislation
Policies of organisation

Child protection procedures will be determined and defined by:
The specific job role
Organisational procedures
Interagency agreements

Response will be determined by:
Job role and
will range from reporting to implementing disciplinary action

Accepted standards
State co-ordinating bodies
Interagency agreements and guidelines
Protocols defined in legislation
Organisational procedures

The appropriate person to report suspected risk of harm will vary according to the legislation in the State/Territory and organisational policies. The person may be:
Ombudsman
State Child Protection Agency
Supervisor in the service
Individual carer

Critical aspects of assessment:
Providing an appropriate response to indications of risk of harm

Essential knowledge:
Statutory and policy requirements relating to job role
State/territory requirements about notifying suspected abuse and reporting process
Child protection system: including reporting protocols, responses to reporting, interagency policies
Organisational guidelines and policies for responding to risks of harm to children and young people
Duty of care responsibilities
Recording procedures appropriate to job role
Common risks to child's safety
Indicators of the different types and dynamics of abuse including as they apply to age, gender, disability, culture, sexuality
The different types of abuse: emotional, physical, sexual, neglect, domestic violence
Impact of risk of harm
Appropriate responses to disclosure

Essential skills:
Applying indicators of abuse to make judgements about risks of harm
Following procedures and instructions

Child focussed work practices including:

Communication skills
Awareness and sensitivity to children and young person's needs
Inclusiveness of children as clients
Making special allowances to met needs of children and young people
Ways of engaging children and young people
Observance and presence of children and young people as potential clients

Consistency in performance:
Competence in this unit must be assessed over a period of time in order to ensure consistency of performance over the Range Statement and contexts applicable to the work environment
Consistency in performance should consider the work environment, worker's role and responsibilities in the workplace

Context of assessment:
Assessment could occur both in the workplace and in off-the-job learning contexts through methods that present workplace practice situations, using case studies, simulations etc.
In cases where the learner does not have the opportunity to cover all categories of the Range Statement in the work environment, the remainder should be assessed through realistic simulations, projects, previous relevant experience or oral questioning on "What if?" scenarios
Assessment of this unit of competence will usually include observation of processes and procedures, oral and/or written questioning on Essential knowledge and skills and consideration of required attitudes