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Elements and Performance Criteria

Required Skills

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

Required skills

ability to communicate effectively with a range of people from diverse cultural backgrounds

application of consultation negotiation and mediation methods

applying legal requirements including antidiscrimination special needs cultural awareness and sensitivity and court and sentencing status and conditions

application of principles of duty of care reconciliation crosscultural communication and community development

Required knowledge

Aboriginal culture or Torres Strait culture relevant to the offenders within the service in sufficient detail to underpin effective relationships with the community

policies procedures and statutory requirements of workers role in correctional services

community and departmental services relevant to the needs of offenders and their families

how to communicate with official representatives of legal and correctional services and with allied services

how to communicate with the community

strategies for community development including community education and community programs

Aboriginal and Torres Strait perspective of history community law environment social structures and relationships obligations and accountability

key people who have an impact on the community and the delivery of service to offenders and the protocols for consultation and decision making

strategies for negotiation and mediation

crosscultural conflict management strategies

principles of case management

language and communication relevant to working with the community

relevant recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody

Evidence Required

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

Overview of assessment

Evidence for assessment must be gathered over time in a range of contexts to ensure the person can achieve the unit outcome and apply the competency in different situations or environments

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

In addition to integrated demonstration of the elements and their related performance criteria look for evidence that confirms

the knowledge requirements of this unit

the skill requirements of this unit

application of employability skills as they relate to this unit

Context of and specific resources for assessment

This unit has been designed to allow for flexible interpretations of concepts such as community and is intended to be contextualised for the different environments and requirements in which work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait offenders families and communities is undertaken

Valid assessment of this unit requires

a workplace environment or one that closely resembles normal work practice and replicates the range of conditions likely to be encountered by an individual providing support to offenders in Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities effectively as part of a coordinated team including coping with difficulties irregularities and changes to routine

copies of legislation policies procedures and guidelines relating to providing support to offenders in Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities

access to appropriate learning and assessment support when required

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested

observation of performance in routine workplace activities within a range of agreed responsibilities and in various work locations

written andor oral questioning to assess knowledge and understanding

completion of workplace documents and reports produced as part of routine work activities

thirdparty reports from experienced practitioners

completion of performance feedback from supervisors and colleagues

Guidance information for assessment

Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands and any identified special needs of the candidate including language and literacy implications and cultural factors that may affect responses to the questions

In all cases where practical assessment is used it will be combined with targeted questioning to assess the underpinning knowledge

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 in the performance criteria is detailed below. 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.

Key people includes those who are important in the community and may include:	community leaders community elders colleagues in correctional services staff of other agencies and services, such as health workers, police, counsellors, legal services, courts and community services offender support networks and family.

Community programs will include relevant examples of those:	developed and managed by the community provided by other agencies and services developed and supported by workers as part of their responsibility managed by the correctional department designed for preventative purposes designed to ensure sentence requirements are met designed for rehabilitation and post-sentence support.

This unit focuses on a distinct community of interests amongst its members. Communities:	will include those belonging to a specific location, language or social relationship may be traditional, mission-based or may exist within a wider general community and be rural, remote or urban will vary in size significantly and may be no bigger than a family or a group sharing a common culture within an institution will have varied structures and management, from self-contained and autonomous to an association of interests within the total community.

Cultural requirements will include relevant applications of:	allowance for the impact of 'skin groups', 'language groups' and 'kin relationships' respect for family structures and relationships respect for the authority of families, elders and councils different concepts of time adaptation of verbal and non-verbal language, gestures, manner and local language different perceptions of the world, and individuals and relationships in it interpretations of the nature of cause and effect in different cultural contexts interpreting the social, historic, spiritual and environmental factors that have an impact on the lives of the community complying with taboos regarding using the name of deceased people and the use of alternative names traditional laws and cultural restrictions allowances for sorry business, mourning and funerals
	respecting gender business, and what is and isn't allowable traditional business and what people are able to do and not do knowledge of history of events and incidents respecting obligations punishment and pay backs.