Assessor Resource

ACMCAN311A
Care for young animals

Assessment tool

Version 1.0
Issue Date: March 2024


The unit is applicable to wildlife animal keepers or carers who are expected to perform tasks under supervision.

In addition to legal and ethical responsibilities, all units of competency in the ACM10 Animal Care and Management Training Package have the requirement for animals to be handled gently and calmly. The individual is required to exhibit appropriate care for animals so that stress and discomfort is minimised.

This unit of competency covers the process of monitoring the general health and wellbeing of young animals that may be either rescued native wildlife or captive animals being naturally or artificially reared.

No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

You may want to include more information here about the target group and the purpose of the assessments (eg formative, summative, recognition)

Employability Skills

This unit contains employability skills.




Evidence Required

List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.

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:

provide appropriate environments and care programs to meet the needs of a range of young animals

assist in artificially rearing animals

monitor the health and nutrition of young animals to ensure their overall growth and wellbeing

prepare animals for release into a captive or natural habitat environment.

The skills and knowledge required to care for young animals 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 captive animal workplace.

There must be access in this situation to a range of young animals 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 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).


Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assingnment, checklist) and due date here

Assessment task 1: [title]      Due date:

(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)


Assessment Tasks

Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.

Required skills

employ safe, humane and environmentally responsible organisational systems and procedures when handling and working with young animals

identify signs and symptoms of disease and ill thrift in young animals

implement facility policies and procedures

maintain the highest standards of hygiene and infection control at all times to reduce the risk of infection and cross-infection

maintain records

monitor animal health and condition and recognise abnormalities

literacy skills to read and follow facility policies and procedures, including OHS and waste management; follow treatment instructions; record accurately and legibly information collected; and select and apply procedures to a range of defined tasks

oral communication skills/language to fulfil the job role as specified by the facility, including questioning techniques, active listening, asking for clarification from supervisors and consulting with supervisors

numeracy skills to estimate, calculate and record routine workplace measures

interpersonal skills to work with others and relate to people from a range of cultural, social and religious backgrounds and with a range of physical and mental abilities

problem-solving skills to use available resources and prioritise daily tasks

use safe manual handling techniques and/or equipment

use safe waste handling and disposal procedures.

Required knowledge

anatomy structure and physiology features of the relevant animal groups related to caring for young animals

concepts of imprinting and socialisation

feeding and husbandry requirements for artificially raised animals

formula types for common species

housing requirements for mother and young where relevant

normal and abnormal animal behaviour

pre-release activities

range of risks to animals being artificially fed

release strategies

relevant facility policies and procedures, including OHS, animal welfare, ethics, hygiene standards and other industry guidelines

relevant federal and state or territory legislation and codes of practice

safe animal handling techniques and procedures

safe work practices

weaning management

workplace hygiene standards, disinfectants, cleaning agents, cleaning techniques and cleaning equipment and materials.

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.

Suitable environments may include:

appropriate level of barrier nursing

consideration of appropriate housing for the mother

reduced noise or light

screening or privacy from the public

separation of the young from other animals or mate

simulated natural habitats.

OHS risks when working with animals may include:

animal bites, envenomation, kicks, scratches and crush injuries

biological hazardous waste and sharps disposal

handling of chemicals and medicines

inhalation of aerosol particles

intraocular contamination

manual handling, including carrying, lifting and shifting

needle pricks and cuts from other sharps

release of infective agents (animal and human)

slippery or uneven work surfaces

zoonoses.

Care program may include:

appropriate environment

nutritional requirements

teaching animals to catch their own food

providing animals with materials to create their own living environment

providing socialisation opportunities with other animals.

Controlled environment may include:

brooders

food dictated by breeding and growth patterns

heat pads

hospital cages

humidicribs

incubators

invertebrate breeding cages.

Risks to animals during artificial feeding may include:

acquisition of aberrant behaviours

aspiration

imprinting

infection

lack of socialisation

pneumonia.

Growth and general condition monitoring may include:

appearance of the body or coat

body measurements

monitoring weight

temperature.

Weaning may involve:

changing the diet

introducing alternative feeding strategies

weaning from human contact.

Records may include:

those required by legislation and facility policies and procedures:

animal identification and health records

facility breeding program records, if applicable

yearly returns to relevant state or territory bodies detailing the survival of all wildlife held, if required.

Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.

Observation Checklist

Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice Yes No Comments/feedback
Suitable environment for rearing young animals is prepared and maintained in accordance with occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements. 
Appropriate care program is developed to ensure the health and wellbeing of animals. 
Assistance is provided in operating and maintaining controlled environments in accordance with facility policies and procedures. 
Risks to animals associated with artificial rearing are identified and minimised. 
Dietary and feeding requirements of young animals are prepared and stored in accordance with facility policies and procedures. 
Growth and general condition of animals are monitored. 
Weaning procedures are followed for nominated species where appropriate. 
Pre-release activities are conducted under supervision, where appropriate. 
Records are maintained in accordance with facility policies and procedures. 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

ACMCAN311A - Care for young animals
Assessment task 1: [title]

Student name:

Student ID:

I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.

Student signature:

Result: Competent Not yet competent

Feedback to student

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:


Assessment Record Sheet

ACMCAN311A - Care for young animals

Student name:

Student ID:

Assessment task 1: [title] Result: Competent Not yet competent

(add lines for each task)

Feedback to student:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Student signature:

Date: