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.
Effective communication strategies may include:
active listening
being non-judgemental
empathy
exploring problems
expressing an individual perspective
providing sufficient time for questions and responses
providing summarising and reflective responses in conflict situations
using appropriate words, behaviour, posture and tone
using clarifying, summarising questions
using clear and concise language
using culturally appropriate communication
using plain English
using verbal and non-verbal communication.
Influences that impact on residents' attitudes may include:
advertising
age and gender
cost
dwelling type
education level
employment status
family type
government funding
household income
location
media
perceptions:
benefits and limitations
impact on lifestyle
past experience
political and social leanings
socio-economic status
views of others:
colleagues
family
friends
peers
significant others.
Barriers may include:
apathy
cost
expectations of high consumption lifestyle
inaccurate and inadequate information
lack of engagement
lack of support from other household members
lack of time
medical needs
negative perceptions
past experience
poor communication
powerlessness.
Home sustainability practices may include:
recycling
reducing:
energy use
greenhouse gas generation
waste volume
water use
refusing
removing
reusing.
Residents' motivations may be influenced by:
financial incentives and disincentives
information
personal attitudes
personal values.
Factors that increase residents' willingness to voluntarily change behaviour and adopt home sustainability practices may include:
community benefit
compatibility of change with lifestyle
different ways of contributing to change
ease of change
ease of seeing and measuring change
engagement of other people in change
environmental benefits
financial incentives
household-based approach to change
personal benefit
personal knowledge of change
range of choices
recognition for personal, household and community efforts and achievement
social norms.
Information needs may include:
home sustainability assessment:
accreditation of assessors
assessment process
objectives
outcomes
home sustainability practices:
benefits
costs
types
home sustainability products and services
rebates and other forms of support.
Positive attitudes and behaviours demonstrated by residents in relation to home sustainability practices may include:
attitudes:
climate change
energy conservation
green power
packaging
passive conservation
recycling and reuse
sustainability
waste minimisation
water conservation
behaviours to recycling, reducing, refusing, removing and reusing.
Appropriate communication and consultation techniques may include:
active listening
conversation
discussion
email
information provision
interview
meeting
presentation
questioning
questionnaire
survey
telephone.
Proactive strategies for supporting residents' adoption of agreed home sustainability practices may include:
capacity building
case management
community education
feedback
follow-up strategies
information sharing
mentoring
networking
partnerships
positive reinforcement of resident decisions to adopt sustainability practices
resource sharing
social support
specialist support
special interest groups
use of community groups and leaders
virtual communities.
Data and success measures may include:
data on home sustainability practices:
energy:
cost
type
use
trend data on energy and water use
perceptions
photographs
waste:
composition
cost
quantity
water:
cost
type
use
success measures:
recycling measures
reduction in costs of energy, water and waste
reduction in energy use, water use and volume of waste
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
reuse of resources.
Appropriate data collection methods may include:
checklists and forms
collation of energy and water bills
diaries
discussions
graphs
logs
questionnaires
self-assessment forms
software tools
surveys.
Ways in which residents can monitor and review progress may include:
analysis of utility and other household accounts
benchmarking
feedback from others
household discussions
monitoring data
personal reflection
reflective questioning
report writing
software tools
stories.
Follow-up services may include:
collation and analysis of data on residents' adoption of home sustainability practices
positive feedback and reinforcement
provision of information on changes and innovations in home sustainability practices, technologies, funding and support programs
support and mentoring
tactics to deal with relapse
updating of implementation plan.

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
This unit of competency could be assessed by demonstration of applying behaviour change principles and approaches in assisting residents to establish a plan for adopting home sustainability practices and monitoring and reviewing their progress.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence of the required skills and knowledge specified in this unit.
In particular, the person should demonstrate the ability to:
apply effective communication and interpersonal skills to build rapport with residents
assess residents' readiness to adopt home sustainability practices
apply behaviour change principles and approaches in assisting residents to establish a plan for adopting home sustainability practices, and monitoring and reviewing their progress
apply knowledge of behaviour change strategies and how these are applied in the context of a home sustainability assessment.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment of essential underpinning knowledge may be conducted in an off-site context and is to comply with relevant regulatory and Australian standards' requirements.
Resource implications for assessment include:
data collection tools
relevant codes, standards and government regulations
access to residents participating in a home sustainability assessment
technology suitable for generating reports
technical reference library with current publications on:
behaviour change
communication strategies
consultation models and strategies
home sustainability practices.
Method of assessment
Assessment methods must:
satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the Property Services Training Package
include direct observation of tasks in real or simulated work conditions, with questioning to confirm the ability to consistently identify and correctly interpret the essential underpinning knowledge required for practical application
reinforce the integration of employability skills with workplace tasks and job roles
confirm that competency is verified and able to be transferred to other circumstances and environments.
Guidance information for assessment
This unit could be assessed on its own or in combination with other units relevant to the job function.
Reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities must be made to assessment processes where required. This could include access to modified equipment and other physical resources, and the provision of appropriate assessment support.
Assessment processes and techniques should, as far as is practical, take into account the language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate in relation to the competency being assessed.