Elements and Performance Criteria

Client services are:
Specific to the organisation

Clients may include:
Individual members of the public
Other organisations, community groups and individuals
Other work areas of the organisation
Senior management
Service users

Relevant people may include:
Clients
Family and personal network of clients
Other workers

Special client needs could relate to:
Disabilities
Language
Gender
Culture
Age
Remote location

Requirements for training may be identified by:
Relevant program manager
Supervisor

Appropriate resources may include:
Aids and equipment
Qualified
Specially trained staff

Critical aspects of assessment:
Consultation with the client(s)
Establish and maintain a network of service providers
Responsiveness to specific client needs

Essential knowledge:
Design and development of client services
Principles of effective client service delivery
Specific client services provided
Strategic planning and organisational development
Evaluation principles and practices
Relevant Commonwealth or State regulations, acts or guidelines relating to aged care
Local, Commonwealth or State services including relevant service provision guidelines
Community resources
Cultural differences and practices
Organisation policy and procedure
Common health problems of aged people and their effects

Depending on the work role or services provided, specific knowledge of particular groups or issues may be required. See additional regarding the following:

Alcohol and other drugs
Cultural and linguistic diversity
Risk of self harm
Women
Men
Community education
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
Mental health

Essential skills:
Ability to analyse client needs
Oral communication skills required to develop rapport with client. Oral communication skills may include listening, asking questions, providing encouragement. Language used may be English, sign language or community language depending on client group
Literacy competency required to fulfil the procedures of the organisation/service. Language used may be English or community language depending on service/organisation
Consultation
Oral communication skills including asking questions, clarifying meaning, clarifying a situation, explaining the needs of aged people to other workers. Language used may be English or a community language
Written communication skills required to fulfil the job role as specified by the service/organisation. Written skills may include the completion of reports or documentation, selecting appropriate language and detail depending on the purpose of the report and the intended audience (eg. Documentation for funding, accreditation documents, client notes etc). Language used may be English or a community language depending on client group and organisation. Communication support is incorporated as required (eg. Using dictionaries, medical books, other reports)
Reading skills required to fulfil the job role as specified by the service/organisation. Skills may include reading written material such as policies, procedure manuals and program materials, understanding and interpreting their content
Strategic planning
Organisational development
Review and evaluation

Resource implications:
Access to appropriate workplace where assessment can take place or
Simulation of realistic workplace setting for assessment

Consistency in performance:
Assessment may include observations, questioning or evidence gathered from the workplace eg. Testimonials from clients
Assessment may be conducted on one occasion but should include all aspects of service provision ie. Analyse, review, plan and develop service etc.

Context of assessment:
This unit will be most appropriately assessed in the workplace or in a simulated workplace and under the normal range of workplace conditions

Essential knowledge and skills:

Where the client is aged the following specific knowledge is required:

Maximised independence
Health promotion
Emotional, psychological and spiritual needs
Cultural, religious and ceremonial needs
Maintenance of an adequate diet
Dementia
Personal hygiene
Dressing and grooming
Mobility and exercise

Where the client has a disability the following specific knowledge is required:
Relevant legislation relating to disability issues
Knowledge of relevant specific culture and language used by people with disabilities
Knowledge specific to working with families and family systems
Understanding different client requirements according to different disabilities
Knowledge of networks in the disability sector
Consumer needs and rights including duty of care
Principles of empowerment/disempowerment in relation to people with disabilities
Principles of access and equity
Current issues facing clients and existing services for addressing needs and rights
Principles and practices of confidentiality
Knowledge specific to working with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
Knowledge specific to working with people at risk of self harm
Organisational policies, practices and programs relating to the work role
Organisational occupational health and safety policies and procedures
Organisational philosophy and guidelines
Rights and responsibilities of people with disabilities
Understanding of stereotypes of people with disabilities
Available client services
Awareness of own attitudes to people with disabilities
Awareness of discriminatory actions
Common risks to safety

Depending on the work role or services provided, specific knowledge of particular groups or issues may be required. See additional information for assessors (pg. 24) regarding the following:

Alcohol and other drugs abuse
Cultural and linguistic diversity
Risk of self harm
Women
Men
Community education
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Mental health

Where the client experiences mental health issues the following specific knowledge is required:
Structural, political and other social factors which operate to maintain discrimination against people affected by mental health problems

Structural, political and other social factors which can be addressed to improve mental health promotion, such as:

Gender
Language
Culture
Ethnicity
Age and
Socio-economic status
Broad knowledge of mental illness and disability issues
Internal structure of the mental health system and its relationship within the broader context of health services, welfare services and government
Policies relevant to mental health at national, state and local level
Relevant agencies and services which may assist in promoting and advocating for mental illness and/or psychiatric disability issues
Political lobbying processes
Use of media for advocacy purposes
Key stakeholders and how to access them
Understanding of the balance between the rights of the general community and the rights of people with a mental illness and/or psychiatric disability
Relevant regulatory, legislative and legal requirements relating to mental health issues
Knowledge specific to working with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
Knowledge specific to working with people at risk of self harm

Knowledge specific to the following areas:

Working with clients with alcohol and other drugs issues
Working with women
Working with men
Working with children and young people
Working with aged clients
Working with corrective services clients
Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients
Community education

Where the client experiences alcohol & other drugs issues the following specific knowledge is required:

Legal and organisational knowledge:

Legal and organisational requirements for client registration, allocation and referral
Organisational policies on reporting and confidentiality
Organisational policies and procedures for documenting work with clients
Understanding agency role, agency target group and the impacts on the local community
Range of alcohol and other drugs specific treatment intervention options including detoxification, in-patient treatment programs, outpatient treatment services, and brief interventions

Effects of alcohol and other drugs use:

Signs and symptoms of medical risk associated with alcohol and other drugs use
Stages and symptoms of alcohol and other drugs withdrawal
Basic health issues relating to alcohol and/or other drugs use eg. Malnutrition, blood borne diseases, skin infestations, effects of drug use on health, cognitive, social, emotional development and impact on others
Basic pharmacology - types of drugs; dose levels; effects of specific drugs; tolerance; treatment approaches broadly
The effects of alcohol related brain injury
Consequences and effects of drug substitution/replacement
Effects of prescribed drugs on the use of other drugs
Patterns of drug use in Australia and the local community
Range of use and use scenarios eg. Lifestyle context of illegal drug use

Legal issues:

Legal status of drugs
Legal issues surrounding alcohol and other drugs use

Policy:

Public health model - interaction of impact of drugs, individual and the environment
Harm minimisation including a range of approaches: prevention, early intervention, abstinence, specialist treatment, supply control and safer drug use
A range of strategies for working with clients
Strategies to promote participation in programs
Range of cultural contexts - lifestyle, set of beliefs, customs
Client empowerment/disempowerment
Rights of workers and clients
Different lifestyles
Self-esteem, abuse issues, self-awareness, own biases, ethical obligations re: helping relationships
Types of counselling eg. Motivational interviewing, brief and intensive intervention, relapse prevention
Protocols around use of interpreters
Client centredness
Case management principles

Working with clients - clients at risk of self harm:

Suicidal or self harming behaviour, ideation or intention
No-suicide contracts and other protective strategies
Links between predisposing factors for self harm, drug use and mental health problems
Legal and ethical obligations regarding clients at risk of self harm or with mental illnesses