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Follow the links below to find material targeted to the unit's elements, performance criteria, required skills and knowledge

Elements and Performance Criteria

1. Elements define the essential outcomes
2. Develop plans
   • Base planning on a critical analysis of the documented outcomes of assessment
   • Integrate current best practice principles and evidence based research about out of home care into planning processes
   • Take into account the immediate, medium and long term needs of the child or young person and their family and carer in planning and selecting placement
   • Include requirements of court orders in plans
   • Clearly communicate plan to child or young person, carers, family members, and relevant bodies
   • Document plans and store in accordance with legislative and organisation standards and procedures
   • Incorporate regular review mechanisms according to legislative and organisation requirements
3. Implement plans
   • Brief child or young person’s family and the new carers and prepare for the placement
   • Ensure the child or young person is aware of why they are in care and their rights
   • Maintain record-keeping systems for placement according to organisation and legislative requirements
   • Organise resource allocation to support the placement according to organisation procedures
   • Monitor, address and support immediate and longer term developmental needs of the child or young person throughout the placement
   • Support carers in their provision of day-to-day care to meet the changing and developing needs of the child or young person
   • Implement contact with family and significant others, including siblings and community, according to the plan
   • Identify situations of alleged abuse or other critical situations and take immediate action according to legislative and organisation requirements and interagency protocols
4. Monitor and review plans
   • Regularly assess and review developmental needs of child or young person, including health, education, social and emotional needs
   • Assess and review the needs of carers and work collaboratively to provide required supports
   • Provide formal and informal opportunities for child/young person, to meet in private with case worker and talk about their placement
   • Make judgements about the success or otherwise of the placement based on analysis of information and respond to the need for adjustment or change according to organisation protocols
   • Provide information to parents, family or significant others about progress of child or young person
5. Contribute to strategic evaluations of out of home care
   • Reflect on and use learning from individual cases to inform contributions to strategic evaluations
   • Collaborate with colleagues to share ideas and perspectives
   • Review and challenge own and organisation’s practice for better ways of doing things
   • Use current and emerging research to inform evaluation

Performance Evidence

The candidate must show evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the job role. There must be evidence that the candidate has:

performed the activities outlined in the performance criteria of this unit in the workplace

developed, implemented and monitored at least 3 plans according to current best practice principles, and in consultation with children or young people, family, carers and other service providers

participated in a structured process of strategic evaluation of the organisation’s out of home care services.

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Knowledge Evidence

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the work role. This includes knowledge of:

legal and ethical considerations for out of home care, and how these are applied in organisations and individual practice:

challenges associated with potential tensions between own and organisational values

children in the workplace and child-focused practice

codes of conduct

discrimination

duty of care

mandatory reporting

privacy, confidentiality and disclosure

policy frameworks, including National Standards for Out-of-Home Care

records management

rights and responsibilities of workers, employers and clients, including legal services available to the client and notification protocols

specific legislative frameworks that apply to out of home care

work role boundaries – responsibilities and limitations

work health and safety

current and emerging research on out of home care

different pathways and types of plans for children, and their application in different situations, including:

restoration/reunification

open adoption

guardianship

kinship care

short/long term

age specific approaches

principles and practices underpinning out of home care, including:

safety, welfare and well-being of child/young person as paramount

current national standards

permanency planning

restoration and reunification

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principles

consideration of culture, cultural identity, disability, language, religion and sexuality of the child or young person

involvement of the child/young person

role of birth parents, family and significant others

family and social dynamics which may impact on care placements

child and adolescent development, including:

stages of child development, including physical, emotional, cognitive, psychological and social development

life story work

attachment theory

grief and loss

identity issues and the importance of birth family

strategies for communicating with children, young people and their families

risk assessment, comprehensive psychosocial assessment and family assessment, including the indicators, types and dynamics of harm

types of supports provided to carers and in what circumstances.

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