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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. Support female offenders in maintaining relationships
   • Assist female offenders to maintain contact with family, friends and support networks.
   • Facilitate contact between female offenders and networks in the community.
   • Encourage female offenders to confidently and positively manage themselves and their relationships.
   • Provide support to female offenders in a manner that maintains the integrity of self-management and personal dignity.
2. Maintain professional relationship with female offenders
   • Communicate with female offenders in a manner appropriate to the offenders’ needs and circumstances.
   • Develop and maintain supportive and appropriate relationships with female offenders and service agencies.
   • Respond positively, appropriately and consistently to female offenders’ requests and concerns.
   • Manage and maintain professional boundaries.
3. Facilitate offender's behaviour self-awareness
   • Establish and maintain acceptable boundaries of behaviour.
   • Provide feedback to female offenders to assist them to identify the impact of their behaviour on self and others.
   • Assist female offenders to identify unacceptable patterns of behaviour and negotiate change.
   • Provide positive reinforcement of acceptable behaviour and acknowledge progress toward change.
   • Utilise support networks to support changes in behaviour.
4. Provide supervision to female offenders
   • Conduct interviews with female offenders.
   • Use communication strategies with female offenders to promote effective interaction.
   • Identify and use a range of communication styles to respect and reflect the diversity of the workplace and working with female offenders.
   • Observe female offenders’ routines and monitor changes and identify needs and potential risks.
   • Refer to specialist services where needs and risks are identified.
5. Support female offenders in maintaining relationships
   • Assist female offenders to maintain contact with family, friends and support networks.
   • Facilitate contact between female offenders and networks in the community.
   • Encourage female offenders to confidently and positively manage themselves and their relationships.
   • Provide support to female offenders in a manner that maintains the integrity of self-management and personal dignity.
6. Maintain professional relationship with female offenders
   • Communicate with female offenders in a manner appropriate to the offenders’ needs and circumstances.
   • Develop and maintain supportive and appropriate relationships with female offenders and service agencies.
   • Respond positively, appropriately and consistently to female offenders’ requests and concerns.
   • Manage and maintain professional boundaries.
7. Facilitate offender's behaviour self-awareness
   • Establish and maintain acceptable boundaries of behaviour.
   • Provide feedback to female offenders to assist them to identify the impact of their behaviour on self and others.
   • Assist female offenders to identify unacceptable patterns of behaviour and negotiate change.
   • Provide positive reinforcement of acceptable behaviour and acknowledge progress toward change.
   • Utilise support networks to support changes in behaviour.
8. Provide supervision to female offenders
   • Conduct interviews with female offenders.
   • Use communication strategies with female offenders to promote effective interaction.
   • Identify and use a range of communication styles to respect and reflect the diversity of the workplace and working with female offenders.
   • Observe female offenders’ routines and monitor changes and identify needs and potential risks.
   • Refer to specialist services where needs and risks are identified.

Performance Evidence

Evidence required to demonstrate competence must satisfy all of the requirements of the elements and performance criteria. If not otherwise specified the candidate must demonstrate evidence of performance of the following on at least two occasions.

assessing risks and special needs of female offenders and providing information based on the degree of risk

adapting communication techniques in recognition of the special needs of female offenders

modelling respect, honesty and cultural sensitivity to female offenders

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Knowledge Evidence

Evidence required to demonstrate competence must satisfy all of the requirements of the elements and performance criteria. If not otherwise specified the depth of knowledge demonstrated must be appropriate to the job context of the candidate.

factors that contribute to female offending behaviour

organisation’s policies and procedures related to female offenders

specific statutory requirements for the care and protection of female offenders

range of services available to the individual and the organisation to support female offenders

mental health disorders/illness prevalent among female offenders

effective strategies for working with female offenders

impact of staff gender on working with female offenders

principles of effective communication including cultural sensitivity

principal cultural observations and requirements of main cultural groups in the female offender’s community

female offending behaviour patterns in the criminal justice system

impact of primary care giving, including children in prison

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