Elements and Performance Criteria

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.
Purpose of social sustainability strategy
Purpose of a social sustainability strategy refers to the organisation’s reasons or aim for developing a proactive strategy which might be stated or implicit in business goals, values or strategies. Examples may include:
enacting core values
identifying and/or enacting a social purpose
becoming a leader in social sustainability and related areas, such as corporate citizenship
establishing long-term business sustainability by creating shared value
identifying business opportunities
improving financial returns
applying voluntary standards or codes, e.g. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting and ISO 26000:2010 Guidance on social responsibility
Facilitate processes
Facilitate in this context means ‘make it happen’. Some tasks may be allocated to others; however, facilitating requires a meaningful contribution to planning what happens and responsibility for how it happens. This includes functions such as:
planning activities
running activities
briefing and/or managing external consultants, facilitators and similar
guiding, managing or coaching other personnel
arranging budget

It assumes that all relevant stakeholders will be encouraged and supported to participate in the processes.

The processes will use and/or adapt strategic analysis and planning techniques, such as
political, economic, social and technological (PEST) analysis
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis (SWOT)
scenario planning
envisioning
balanced scorecard
value chain mapping
current state-future state
brainstorming
strengths, opportunities, aspirations, results (SOAR)
appreciative enquiry
Strategic opportunities
Strategic opportunities refers to areas of activity where implementing programs, innovations and/or improvements in social sustainability also provide opportunities to advance and/or improve the business in sustainable ways
Impact on resources and systems
Impact on resources and systems may include:
changes to job roles and responsibilities
additional staff
budget for new initiatives
processes for planning and managing change
processes to support innovations
changes to organisational vision, goals, structures, policies and procedures
workplace health and safety
Progressing the strategy
Depending on the content of the strategic plan various steps and implementation approaches might be appropriate to progressing the strategy, such as:
improvement projects
new programs
amended policies and procedures
product/service innovations
review of organisational values and structures
the organisation revising its values and goals to accommodate new perspectives of social sustainability
Evaluation criteria
Evaluation of the strategy is not dependent on implementing the strategy; however, where implementation has occurred it should be incorporated into the evaluation.

Evaluation criteria may relate to issues, such as:
the purpose of the social sustainability strategy
the strategic planning process
stakeholder engagement in the strategy development and/or implementation
implementation processes
outcomes of the implementation
social sustainability metrics
other business metrics
Equitable participation
Equitable participation may be facilitated by:
developing protocols for communication and providing feedback
managing communications and group dynamics
activities that encourage critical thinking, new ideas and innovations
activities that recognise different ways of communicating and/or thinking, e.g. verbal, written and visual
encouraging respect for cultural diversity
encouraging understanding of and respect for diverse interests and differing opinions
providing information and/or activities that acknowledge the range of drivers for and barriers to social sustainability
providing information that targets different levels of awareness and commitment among stakeholders
using interpreters or translated information
addressing barriers to communication

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
A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to engage stakeholders in developing a social sustainability strategy with clear purpose, proposed activities and next steps.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Assessors must be satisfied that the candidate can competently and consistently apply the skills covered in this unit of competency in new and different situations and contexts. Critical aspects of assessment and evidence include:
researching approaches to social sustainability that are proactive
facilitating processes to develop a social sustainability strategy
evaluating the implications of the social sustainability strategy for the organisation
documenting the strategy and recommending the next steps
evaluating the strategy against criteria and identifying opportunities for improvement.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment.
Assessment should emphasise a workplace context and procedures found in the candidate’s workplace.
This unit of competency may be assessed with other relevant units addressing sustainability at the enterprise level or other units requiring the exercise of the skills and knowledge covered by this unit.
The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team.
Method of assessment
In all cases, practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly.
Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.
The language, literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work-like environment.