Elements and Performance Criteria

Information may be gathered about:
Members of the family
Custodial arrangements for the child
Hours of care requested
How soon care is required
Language/s used by the child and in the home
Additional needs of the child, e.g. language support, health needs
Special care requirements of the child
Financial constraints
Eligibility for fee relief
Special access criteria that apply
Preferences for care provision, e.g. location, staffing
Cultural background
Health status
Immunisation status
Needs and routines of the child

Information about the needs for service may be gathered from:
Parents
Other family members
Health professionals
Schools and other community organisations
Community members acting as advocates for the child or family

Information may be gathered via:
Enrolment interviews
Parent interview/phone conversations

Strategies to ensure effective communication may include:
Use of interpreters
Parent accompanied by advocate
Pictures and non verbal communication
Alternative communication systems

Information provided about the service may include:
Program model
Philosophy and purpose
Policies and procedures
Fees
Rebates
Assistance schemes
Service guidelines
Legislative/regulatory requirements

Formats for information provided may include:
In language used by the parents
Plain English

Issues to be communicated about availability of the service include:
Vacancies
Waiting lists
Process for application
Priority of access

Strategies for ensuring the service is open to family members may include:
Visits
Opportunity to meet staff
Participation in program
Unhurried arrival and farewell times

Feedback from parents may be sought about:
The child's experience in the service
The parent's experience in using the service
Suggestions for improvements

Guidelines of the service that family members should follow may include:
Schedule for fee payments
Procedure for collecting ill child

Procedures that parents need to follow may include:
Signing
Notifying absences
Fee payments procedures
Service procedures regarding nappy use/disposal

Critical aspects of assessment:
Demonstrated ability to collaboratively plan and review service provision with families

Interdependent assessment of units:
Competence in CHCRF11A Work in partnership with families to care for the child, is a prerequisite for this unit

Essential knowledge:
Parent's perspective's about child care service - its importance, its purposes, reactions to using child care
Boundaries and limits of the service
Cross cultural communication
Use of interpreters
Resources available in other services and types of children's services
Cultural diversity of care practices
Custody arrangements policies
Principle of confidentiality and issues in implementing confidentiality
Organisational standards, policies and procedures

Essential skills:
Non judgmental attitude to parent's having different views about children and child care to the worker's own views
Communication skills eg. Assertiveness, listening
Problem solving
Empathy to parent's concerns and problems

Resource implications:

Assessment requires access to a range of opportunities defined in the Range of Variables. This includes:

A childcare workplace
Access to children's services, resources and equipment
Access to the local environment

Context of assessment:
This unit could be assessed either on the job or off the job through an appropriate workplace simulation for a range of age groups and a range of conditions over a number of assessment situations