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.
Examples of dispute or conflict situations may include:
animals that are:
barking excessively
displaying aggressive behaviour
off leash in an on-leash area
wandering at large
animal attack
animal welfare situations.
Parties involved may include:
animal owner
non-animal owner
observer/witness
victim of aggressive animal behaviour (e.g. an attack).
Legislative requirements that must be followed include:
federal and state or territory legislation and regulations, standards and codes of practice
local laws for animal control and regulation services
other associated legislative constraints.
Negotiation resolutions may include:
keeping animals on leash
keeping animals off leash in an off-leash area
higher fences
muzzle to stop barking
Negotiation techniques may include:
strategic questioning and listening to gather information and direct the focus of people involved
positive, confident and cooperative language
control of tone of voice and body language
language and concepts appropriate to the people involved
clear presentations of options and consequences
demonstrating flexibility and willingness to compromise
summarising positions of agreements to move towards understanding.
Effective communication techniques may include:
active listening
constructive feedback
two-way interaction
reflection and summarising
verbal and non-verbal communication.
Social and cultural differences may include:
beliefs and values
codes of conduct
relationships or family structure
religious or spiritual observances
social conventions
verbal and non-verbal communication.

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:
identify a dispute/conflict situation, its cause and the parties involved
analyse the dispute/conflict and act to resolve it through negotiation and mediation
communicate effectively with parties involved, using both verbal and non-verbal techniques
comply with legislative requirements
follow systems, records and reporting requirements in accordance with organisational policies and procedures.

The skills and knowledge required to manage conflict in an animal care and regulation environment 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 an animal control and regulation workplace or in a situation that reproduces normal work conditions.

There must be access to conflict situations regarding animals involving two or more human parties 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, cases and responsibilities and 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
case study analysis
third-party evidence
workplace documentation.

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).