Application
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to establish and maintain community relationships, work within cultural protocols and support people who have been affected by domestic and family violence. It requires sensitivity and understanding of diverse cultural protocols and practices, including appropriate interpersonal and networking skills.
This unit applies to community services workers providing services in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities.
The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand Standards and industry codes of practice.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements define the essential outcomes | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Establish and maintain relationship with community | 1.1 Establish and maintain relationships with 1.2 Identify and respect 1.3 Support community programs which meet the needs identified by clients 1.4 Collect and review local information 1.5 Provide feedback to the community and individuals in relation to information collected 1.6 Respect and encourage the value of community, elders and kinship system as a social support mechanism and use when appropriate with client consent |
2. Work within cultural requirements | 2.1 Ensure information provided is linguistically, visually and culturally acceptable to the community 2.2 Identify and recognise different views of the community and consider in planning any support activities 2.3 Adapt work processes to meet requirements of the community 2.4 Use values, issues and structures within the community to maximise outcomes for clients 2.5 Work with the whole family including perpetrators, siblings, extended family and community members according to individual needs 2.6 Make work consistent with organisation standards and procedures, current legislative and statutory requirements, and community practices |
3. Support clients | 3.1 Prioritise physical and emotional safety of clients and safety of their families 3.2 Use interpersonal skills that facilitate accurate and relevant exchange of information and to make sure individual stories are heard, accepted, understood and validated 3.3 Provide the individual with feedback to ensure accuracy and appropriate interpretation of their stories 3.4 Identify, assess and respond to any indications of risk or harm according to the degree and nature of the risk and the client’s wishes and circumstances 3.5 Explain and promote client and worker rights and responsibilities throughout client contact 3.6 Complete record-keeping and reporting according to organisation standards and procedures and confidentiality requirements |
Evidence of Performance
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:
provided domestic and family violence support in accordance with legal and procedural requirements in at least 1 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community, and to at least 3 different clients
provided services in ways that reflect understanding of Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander concepts of domestic and family violence
used and adapted the following interpersonal and communication skills to suit specific community cultural and linguistic needs:
questioning
active listening
storytelling
rapport and relationship building.
Evidence of Knowledge
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 (national and state/territory) for workers interacting with clients affected by domestic and family violence in an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander context, and how these are applied in organisations and individual practice:
codes of conduct
discrimination
duty of care
human rights
mandatory reporting
privacy, confidentiality and disclosure
records management
rights and responsibilities of:
workers and employers
individuals, families, the community and society to minimise or prevent domestic violence
work role boundaries – responsibilities and limitations
work health and safety
domestic violence and its context, including:
social, historical, political and economic context of domestic violence, including types and nature of domestic violence, power and gender issues, child abuse and associated criminal issues
prevalence of myths, unhelpful beliefs, attitudes and practices in the broader society regarding domestic violence and their effects on individuals’ rights to safety and autonomy
impacts of cultural, sub-cultural, social, religious, gender, age, language issues etc on attitudes towards domestic and family violence in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities
social, historic, spiritual and environmental factors which have an impact on the lives of the community and which are reflected in community relationships and practices
key people and groups within the community and relevant protocols and restrictions for consultation and decision-making
community development principles and strategies and their application
ways to gain community acceptance
cultural and language groups represented within the local/regional community, and a respect of their values, beliefs and traditions
how to communicate with the community (adaptation of language, verbal and non-verbal, local language)
domestic and family violence indicators and procedures for undertaking assessment of client needs
organisation procedures, practices and standards for:
client assessment
allocation of services
case management
interviewing
use of resources
programmed intervention
referral
community involvement
structural barriers and their impact e.g. institutional racism and their effects on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People accessing services
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander kinship systems
own values and attitudes and their potential impact on clients.
Assessment Conditions
Skills must have been demonstrated in the workplace or in a simulated environment that reflects workplace conditions. The following conditions must be met for this unit:
use of suitable facilities, equipment and resources, including:
organisation policies and procedures
modelling of industry operating conditions, including:
scenarios that involve interactions with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015/AQTF mandatory competency requirements for assessors.
Foundation Skills
The Foundation Skills describe those required skills (language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills) that are essential to performance.
Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.