CHCYTH001
Engage respectfully with young people


Application

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to communicate effectively with young people (aged 12 to 25 years) in work roles with a specific focus on young people.

This unit applies to work undertaken in work roles where the young person is the primary client.

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 specify the level of performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

1. Communicate effectively with young people

1.1 Listen to the young person to gain understanding of their experiences

1.2 Foster communication exchanges that support the development of trust and rapport

1.3 Process information about the young person’s situation from their perspective

1.4 Use a range of appropriate communication strategies to engage with young people

1.5 Consider cultural sensitivities in communication techniques and adapt style and language to accommodate different cultural values and practices

1.6 Maintain young person’s confidentiality in the context that the young person is the primary stakeholder

2. Reflect understanding of youth cultures and subcultures and young person’s own development

2.1 Consider youth culture and subcultures of the young person in all actions and decisions

2.2 Consider the young person’s individual development in all actions and decisions

2.3 Evaluate issues in relation to young person’s culture and modify approaches appropriately

2.4 Select activities and resources to promote awareness, respect the young person and value diversity

2.5 Establish guidelines that are relevant to the culture and background of the young person

2.6 Assess the impact of own cultural values, cultural lens and ethnocentrism in youth work

3. Work with the young person as the focus

3.1 Apply youth-centred practices when working with young people

3.2 Respect the rights, needs and responsibilities of the young person

3.3 Explain worker rights and responsibilities to the young person as necessary

3.4 Establish a professional relationship and boundary expectations with the client

3.5 Identify and manage power inequities in the professional relationship

3.6 Apply principles of ethical decision-making in working with young people

4. Reflect on own practice and values

4.1 Identify opportunities to reflect on own interactions and practices with young people

4.2 Recognise areas where own biases, background and opinions may have impacted on work with the young person

4.3 Seek opportunities to address any concerns or areas for development

Foundation Skills

The Foundation Skills describe those required skills (language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills) that are essential to performance.

Oral communication – in order to engage and establish collaborative, professional relationships with young people.

The remaining foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit.


Range Statement

Specifies different work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included.

Range is restricted to essential operating conditions and any other variables essential to the work environment.

Context for youth work must include one or more of the following:

centre-based work

drop-in centres, recreational facilities

housing and residential services

outreach and home visits, street, parks

schools

online youth work, web-based, emails, discussion rooms

telephone contact