Elements and Performance Criteria

Factors which may have an impact on community work will include:
Composition and nature of the community
Roles, relationships, obligations, accountability and protocol
Organisation policy and principles
Resources
Other agencies, networks, services
Government role and policies
Attitudes, values, beliefs

Review of community work may include:
Internal evaluation
Internal and external research
Specifically commissioned research

Leadership may include:
Direct and indirect influence on attitudes, decisions and action
Formal and informal roles and positions
Individual and group roles and positions

Factors influencing effective community services may include:
Policy
Organisation
Service
Public
Government
Social
Performance standards
Service standards
Resources
Culture
Skills
Competence
Training/education/development
Career structures
Industrial structures
Social/community/political/economic change
Coordination/leadership
Image/morale
Flexibility/adaptability

Strategies for promoting effectiveness of community work may include:
Evidence gathering
Presentation in relevant forums and to key people

Strategies for maintaining quality performance may include:
The development and maintenance of relevant industry and practice standards
Appropriate utilisation of existing community structures and processes

Requirements for the development of performance and assessment strategies may include:
Use of existing standards such as:
Organisational
Sector
Industry
National
Enterprise
Individual
Curriculum/teaching/education provision
Assessment models/tools
Appraisal/recognition of prior learning
Appeals mechanisms
Recognition/accreditation
Research/publications/promotion/information

Volunteers may include:
Unpaid workers who are in paid employment elsewhere
Unpaid workers who are not in paid employment

Roles of volunteers may include:
Agency management
Direct service including reception, telephone advice lines, service user support

Critical aspects of assessment:
High level leadership to communities to enable achievement of common goals
Influencing effective practice in community work and/or the community services industries

Essential knowledge
Models of leadership
Strategic planning
Characteristics, relationships, influence and accountability in the community
Complex cultural awareness and practice
Policies and theories of community services
Policies and theories of productivity and human services
Nature and structure of the community services industry
Training and education policy systems and provision
Relevant industrial relations policy, structures and practice
Relevant legislation
Research methodologies
Organisation's guidelines
Social/political/organisation systems and structures
Government programs and policies

Essential skills:
Leadership based on specified objectives and community factors
Strategic planning designed to achieve identified community outcomes
Analysis of community relationships

High level skills affecting organisations, industry and the broadest community, including:

Evaluation
Communication
Negotiation
Analysis
Developmental practice

Resource implications:
Access to appropriate workplace or community or to an environment capable of accurately simulating these

Consistency in performance:
Consistency in performance should relate to outcomes required by community leadership

Context of assessment:
This unit can be assessed in the workplace, in the community or in relevant simulation

Critical aspects of assessment:
Volunteer recruitment and coordination meets both the needs of the organisation and support requirements for volunteer roles

Essential knowledge:
The impact of cultural or community attitudes on appropriate roles, relationships and approaches of the volunteer worker
The implications of differences in attitudes and values in working in the agency
Relevant legislation and public policies relating to the employment of unpaid workers

Essential skills:
Coordination of people, processes and information
Provision of support to a diverse range of people
Conflict resolution/negotiation and mediation
Cross cultural communication and negotiation
Verbal and written communication

Resource implications:
Access to appropriate workplace or community where assessment can take place; or
Simulation of realistic workplace or community setting for assessment

Consistency in performance:
Consistency in performance should consider the volunteer recruitment and coordination requirements of the workplace

Context for assessment:
This unit can be assessed in the community or in a simulation which relates closely to the experience of the workplace and the community