Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Suitable environments may include:
appropriate level of barrier nursing
consideration of appropriate housing for the mother
reduced noise or light
screening or privacy from the public
separation of the young from other animals or mate
simulated natural habitats.
OHS risks when working with animals may include:
animal bites, envenomation, kicks, scratches and crush injuries
biological hazardous waste and sharps disposal
handling of chemicals and medicines
inhalation of aerosol particles
intraocular contamination
manual handling, including carrying, lifting and shifting
needle pricks and cuts from other sharps
release of infective agents (animal and human)
slippery or uneven work surfaces
zoonoses.
Care program may include:
appropriate environment
nutritional requirements
teaching animals to catch their own food
providing animals with materials to create their own living environment
providing socialisation opportunities with other animals.
Controlled environment may include:
brooders
food dictated by breeding and growth patterns
heat pads
hospital cages
humidicribs
incubators
invertebrate breeding cages.
Risks to animals during artificial feeding may include:
acquisition of aberrant behaviours
aspiration
imprinting
infection
lack of socialisation
pneumonia.
Growth and general condition monitoring may include:
appearance of the body or coat
body measurements
monitoring weight
temperature.
Weaning may involve:
changing the diet
introducing alternative feeding strategies
weaning from human contact.
Records may include:
those required by legislation and facility policies and procedures:
animal identification and health records
facility breeding program records, if applicable
yearly returns to relevant state or territory bodies detailing the survival of all wildlife held, if required.

EVIDENCE GUIDE
The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
The evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy all of the requirements of the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge and the range statement of this unit. Assessors should ensure that candidates can:
provide appropriate environments and care programs to meet the needs of a range of young animals
assist in artificially rearing animals
monitor the health and nutrition of young animals to ensure their overall growth and wellbeing
prepare animals for release into a captive or natural habitat environment.

The skills and knowledge required to care for young animals must be transferable to a range of work environments and contexts and include the ability to deal with unplanned events.

Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment of this unit is to be practical in nature and will be most appropriately assessed in a captive animal workplace.

There must be access in this situation to a range of young animals as well as the appropriate equipment and/or resources to enable one to demonstrate competence.

Method of assessment
To ensure consistency in one's performance, competency should be demonstrated, to industry defined standards, on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances and where possible, over a number of assessment activities.

The assessment strategy must include practical skills assessment. Suggested strategies for this unit are:
written and/or oral assessment of candidate's required knowledge
observed, documented and first-hand testimonial evidence of candidate's application of practical tasks
simulation exercises that reproduce normal work conditions
third-party evidence
workplace documentation
portfolio.

This unit may be assessed in a holistic way with other units of competency relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role.

Guidance information for assessment
Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands (e.g. literacy and numeracy demands) and the needs of particular target groups (e.g. people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people with a language background other than English, youth and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds).