The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this unit of competency:

The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills

The application of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or realistically simulated workplace

Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints

Consistency of performance should be demonstrated over the required range of situations relevant to the workplace

The circumstantial or unsolicited testimony of project participants, governments or other non-government organisations regarding ethical behaviour should be considered as significant evidence in relation to this unit

Certain aspects of program monitoring and evaluation present a greater level of difficulty, including actively considering cross sectoral issues, evaluating the impact of the project, identifying non-reported interventions and identifying staffing needs

The type and scale of evaluation may vary considerably and it may be necessary to undertake several evaluations before gaining sufficient competency to achieve this unit

Assessment must confirm a reasonable inference that competency is able not only to be satisfied under the particular circumstance, but is able to be transferred to other circumstances

Access and equity considerations:

All workers in development and humanitarian assistance should be aware of access, equity and human rights issues in their own area of work

All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment

In particular workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues facing the people and culture in which they are working

Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues relating to the culture in which they are working

Context of and specific resources for assessment:

This unit may be assessed independently, however holistic assessment practice with other related units of competency is encouraged

Assessment of essential underpinning knowledge, other than confirmatory questions, will usually be conducted in an off-site context

Resources required for assessment include access to:

workplace location or simulated workplace

specifications and work instructions

policy manuals and procedure manuals (international and local, including donor manuals)

relevant documents (such as assessment notes and conclusions) and standards documents

relevant equipment (such as office equipment and communications equipment)

managers, co-workers and local staff

Method of assessment:

Assessment needs to take into consideration the practical difficulties associated with attempting on-job assessment in the humanitarian assistance environment

Assessment methods must be by direct observation of tasks and include questioning on underpinning knowledge

Assessment may be applied under project related conditions (real or simulated) and require evidence of process

Assessment should be supported by supplementary evidence from a wide range of sources, preferably including evidence from one or more field situations

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit.

Essential knowledge:

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

This includes:

Agency guidelines, such as:

Australian Agency for International Aid (AusAID) guidelines, including Development for All (Disability) Strategy and Child Protection Policy

U.S. Agency for International Development Field Operational Guide (USAID FOG)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) guidelines, especially on specific projects for vulnerable groups

other relevant agency guidelines

Analytical tools and techniques appropriate to local context and data being analysed

Basic logframe

Broad knowledge of humanitarian and development assistance theoretical thinking and topical issues

Capacity and vulnerability framework (People Oriented Planning)

Data collection techniques

Donor priorities, organisation structures and key staff, funding guidelines and reporting requirements

General project cycle

Local Capacities for Peace (LCP)/Do No Harm framework

Organisation internal politics and informal power or influence relationships

Organisation policies and procedures relating to issues such as:

donor relations

data collection

assessment techniques

confidentiality

Organisation software relevant to programming sector

Organisation structure, including formal lines of reporting and responsibility

Organisation support systems and personnel

Participatory Learning and Action (PLA)

Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)

Personal security

Rapid assessment tools (e.g. 10 seed technique)

Social, cultural and political context of the specific field environment

The Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Relief (The Sphere standards)

Essential skills:

It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to:

Comply with relevant organisation and donor policies and requirements

Effectively communicate with and obtain relevant feedback and design recommendations from relevant personnel and partner organisations and target communities or groups

Effectively communicate with key stakeholders, donors and obtain relevant feedback and recommendations for the program

Effectively monitor and evaluate program activities and outputs, interventions, budget, staffing needs, performance and impact against goals and performance indicators, and make appropriate recommendations for modifications, future programs or planning

Effectively prepare and produce monitoring and evaluation reports that include summary of monitoring and evaluation methodology, feedback and data summaries, key findings and recommended modifications to the program plan

Work collaboratively to identify and agree strategic priorities, design a program and prepare an operational plan that takes into account and addresses relevant cross sectoral issues and external influences

In addition, the candidate must be able to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

These include the ability to:

Apply skills in:

accessing a variety of records and information sources

accurately planning and organising work activities

adapting to different environments and responding effectively to challenges

administration and routine office procedures

building rapport with others, including donors, local officials and community members

communicating effectively with a range of different audiences

efficiently managing self responsibilities and timelines for completion of work

identifying problems and appropriate response procedures

initiating new ideas or work methodologies

making rapid and accurate situational assessments, while under stress

managing resources

networking

participating in a team environment to design and plan program

program and project design, planning and report writing

setting priorities and undertaking new tasks quickly

thinking, problem solving and conceptual techniques

using analytical tools and techniques

using appropriate communication and interpersonal techniques with colleagues and others and participating in a team environment to complete tasks

using investigative skills, including analysis and deduction

continued ...

Essential skills (cont):

using language, literacy and numeracy skills such as those required to:

collect, analyse and organise data

communicate in spoken and written form with a range of audiences

adjust spoken and written language to suit audience

prepare or customise materials

using communications equipment, including telephone, radio, satellite phone, fax and email

using computing equipment and common software programs

working with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, with awareness and understanding of cultural differences and ability to express that awareness and understanding clearly and concisely

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any 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.

External influences may include:

Trends in funding opportunities, both within the organisation and from other sources

Domestic political forces within the country

Non-domestic political forces

Government and non-government agencies and organisations including humanitarian agencies, World Bank and UNHCR

Concepts and principles of aid effectiveness and community development include:

Ownership, including:

using delivery processes that support partner countries to exercise effective leadership over their development policies and strategies

coordinating development actions

involving communities and local government in decision making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation

encouraging community's and local government's contribution to problem solving

Alignment, involving maintaining a comprehensive understanding of partner countries' national development strategies, institutions and procedures to guide program delivery

Harmonisation:

actively seeking to collaborate with other Official Development Assistance (ODA) partners to create added value and greater development effectiveness

Managing for results, including continuous improvement of systems to:

manage for development results

support evidence-based decision making

Mutual accountability, involving demonstration of:

full transparency and accountability for the use of development resources in program delivery

Efficiency gains may include:

Use of personnel across a number of projects or programs

Cost savings through sharing office support for projects

Cross sectoral issues may include:

Child protection

Peace building

Relief to development transition

Sustainability of program / project (i.e. relating to whether the program activities are able to continue once project funding has ceased)

Human rights:

as set out in the United Nations' Charter of Human Rights

target groups within a field situation maintain these rights and therefore are treated as 'rights bearers' rather than as beneficiaries

Gender issues which encompass but are not limited to the socially defined sex roles, attitudes and values to which communities and societies ascribe as appropriate for one sex or the other:

gender does not describe the biological sexual characteristics by which females and males are identified

it is ensured that both sexes are included in data gathering using appropriate PRA exercises and 'shielding'

as per Oxfam Gender Training Manual which provides further guidance on gender issues

Potential political, social and cultural impacts of project

Environmental issues such as adhering to the minimum standards set out in the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (Sphere standards)

continued ...

Cross sectoral issues may include (contd):

International standards and conventions on environmental issues include:

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Environmental Checklist

Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) Environmental Markers

AMS Generic Field Codes

World Bank Environmental Assessment Sourcebook

Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio de Janeiro, 1992)

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (New York, 1992)

International Convention to Combat Desertification (1994)

Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary

Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (Basel, 1989)

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) (Washington, 1973)

Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (Vienna, 1985)

Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal, 1987)

Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar, 1971)

Operational plan includes:

Goals and objectives

Outputs

Indicators

Resource requirements

Timelines

Performance indicators will depend on the nature of the program and may include:

Achievement of goals in areas such as:

health statistics (such as mortality rates and weight for age ratios)

food distribution

commodity distribution

infrastructure establishment

micro economic development

Improved outcomes for the community in specified areas of community living

Enhanced community capacity to address identified issues

Achievement of identified goals within a specified timeframe

Program information may include:

Internal or external information, such as

monthly project reports

financial reports

project activity schedules

project logbooks

receipts and invoices

data from related projects

international agency reports (World Bank, UNHCR and data from government agencies

data from other organisations

Key stakeholders may include:

Program staff

Host governments

Donor agencies

Program participants

Other organisations

Culture and gender sensitive interview techniques may include:

Separating genders

Separating age cohorts

'Shielding' the group from overt influence

Field constraints may include:

Local political environment

Technological infrastructure

Environmental conditions

Road and transport networks

Ethnic or religious tensions

Criminal activity

Cultural factors

Appropriate adjustments may refer to changes to the program to better address issues and achieve outcomes and may include:

Changes to design of certain elements of the program

Additional or different resources to be applied

Training or development of personnel involved

Performance variations may include:

Program activities that have not been planned but could occur or are occurring and are not being reported by local personnel