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.
Organisation requirements may include:
animal care and management protocols and procedures
code of conduct and code of ethics
daily work roster
environmental sustainability practices
infection control plans
quality and continuous improvement standards
relevant legislation
workplace documentation and reporting protocols procedures, communication channels and records
workplace-specific OHS, emergency and environmental protocols and procedures.
Task requirements may include:
instructions from supervisor or manager
reporting and documentation
objectives and timeframes
specific client requirements
work tasks and procedures.
Factors affecting the achievement of task instructions may include:
budget constraints
competing work demands
environmental factors including time and weather
lack of resource and materials
own ability to complete work (competency and skill level)
technology or equipment breakdowns
unforeseen incidents
workplace hazards, risks and controls.
Organisation equipment may include:
cash registers
computers
fax machines
personal schedulers
photocopiers
printers.
Safe work practices and OHS requirements will include:
applying appropriate manual handling techniques when packaging and handling loads, including animals and equipment
hazard identification and risk minimisation:
handling, use, storage, transport and disposal of chemicals
handling and disposal of biological wastes
following personal and workplace hygiene procedures
using infection control procedures to minimise risks associated with:
zoonoses
release of infective agents (both animal and human)
chemical spillage
gas leakages
using machinery and equipment in accordance with manufacturers' instructions
using of personal protective equipment and clothing:
animal handling gauntlets
appropriate footwear
aprons
protective masks
safety gloves
safety goggles and glasses
sun hat and sunscreen lotion.
Companion animals may include:
aquaria, reptiles and amphibians
birds
dogs and cats
invertebrates (e.g. stick insects, spiders and beetles)
small animals (e.g. rabbits, rodents, ferrets and guinea pigs).
Ethical work with animals may include
completing work practices with due regard to animal health and safety
complying with relevant animal welfare, biosecurity and local government legislation and regulations
reporting animal illness, injury or distress to supervisor
reporting via workplace chain of command to animal health authorities if biosecurity hazard is suspected.
Legislative requirements may include:
Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council codes of practice
relevant companion animal legislation
local council regulations
microchipping
animal welfare legislation
National Parks and Wildlife Service legislation.
Effective communication with clients may include
clarifying and verifying information from and to clients
providing information to clients within the area of personal responsibility and expertise only
referring client to others where requests are beyond scope of personal responsibility
reporting client requests and interaction using workplace protocols and procedures
respecting client and workplace information confidentiality.

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:
organise, prioritise and complete work tasks in a timely manner
identify and handle animals in an ethical and humane manner
comply with relevant legislation, regulations and codes of practice,including animal welfare and OHS
communicate effectively with supervisor and follow task instructions to complete daily work activities
build relationships and communicate effectively with clients
gather, document, maintain and record companion animal records using organisational recordkeeping systems.

The skills and knowledge required to work effectively in the companion animal industry 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 companion animal workplace or in a situation that reproduces normal work conditions. Workplaces may include pet shops, boarding kennels and catteries, companion animal training, grooming and/or breeding establishments and mobile animal facilities.

There must be access to 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).