Elements and Performance Criteria

Young people will include:
Individual young people who are users of the services of the organisation
Individual young people referred to the organisation
Young people who are involuntary or voluntary users of the service of the organisation
Young people who fall in the specific target group of the organisation

Crisis situations may include:
Threatened suicide
Drug overdose
Domestic violence
Abusive situations
Self harm
Serious indictable offences homelessness
Death
Verbal abuse
Mental health issues
Depression
Separate homelessness

Possible strategies to minimise risk may include:
Counselling
Restraining
Diversion
Segregation
Employing communication skills
Seeking assistance
Seeking emergency assistance

Strategies for crisis/emergency action may include:
Actions undertaken and managed by the young person
Actions taken by the worker on behalf of the young person
Joint action
Referral to other agencies or services
Referrals to group/peer support
Short and long term
Referral to supervisor/colleagues

Assistance will include:
From own organisation
From another organisations
Government and non-government
Youth specific organisations
Generic community services organisation
Emergency services organisations

Organisation's policies and procedures will include:
Emergencies
Occupational health and safety
Referrals
Reporting
Recording
Accountability
Code of conduct
Legislative, statutory obligations

Critical aspects of assessment must include:
Role and responsibilities of self and other staff for responding to critical incidents
Understanding of how critical incidents and risks arise both generally and in particular situations

Interdependent assessment of units:
CHCYTH1B Work effectively with young people is a prerequisite to this unit

Essential knowledge:
Issues affecting young people
Basic counselling strategies
Protocols of crisis intervention

Essential skills:
Conducting interviews
Advanced communication
Predicting possible outcomes or consequences of particular actions
Establishing and facilitating meetings
Adequate literacy skills for record keeping and report writing to the standards defined by the organisation

Essential knowledge required includes:
Mental health issues
Policies/procedures

Essential skills required include:
Advanced communication
Counselling

Resource implications:
Access to a workplace or to an accurately simulated environment where assessment may take place

Consistency in performance:
Competency is demonstrated in assisting young people in crisis situations for at least one type of crisis situation taking account of the organisational policies and procedures designed to maximise safety

Context of assessment:
This unit is best assessed in the workplace or in a simulated workplace under the normal range of conditions