Application
This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to inspect aged care facilities in order to assess their accessibility for people with disabilities. The assessment process involves interpreting and implementing the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), DDA Premises Standards, and other applicable state and territory building legislation. It involves communicating with aged care facility owners and managers regarding access compliance requirements.
The unit supports access audits conducted for the purposes of determining facility suitability for the safety for, and usability by, people with disabilities in the target age group. It applies to access consultants working alone or as a member of a team to complete aged care facility access audits on behalf of clients, who may be facility owners and managers; architects, building designers, developers and builders; commonwealth, state or territory department of health and aged care representatives; and building certifiers and surveyors.
No licensing, legislative, regulatory, or certification requirements apply to this unit of competency at the time of endorsement.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the range of conditions. | ||
1. | Respond to client inquiry regarding aged care facility access audit. | 1.1. | Client requesting access audit of facility is identified and their authority to act is established according to organisational requirements. |
1.2. | Client requirements are discussed, clarified and confirmed according to organisational requirements. | ||
1.3. | Own competence and organisational capability to respond to client needs are determined and assessed. | ||
1.4. | Client brief for audit and authority to proceed are negotiated with client and documented according to organisational requirements. | ||
1.5. | Contractual arrangements for audit are negotiated, confirmed, documented and stored according to client, organisational and legislative requirements. | ||
2. | Prepare for access audit. | 2.1. | Copies of documentation required for audit are obtained. |
2.2. | Facility access arrangements are negotiated and contact person is identified according to client and organisational requirements. | ||
2.3. | Access audit checklist suited to scale of task and facility is prepared. | ||
2.4. | Required audit personnel are sourced and briefed. | ||
2.5. | Required tools and equipment are identified, sourced and checked for serviceability in line with manufacturer specifications. | ||
3. | Conduct access audit. | 3.1. | Facility is accessed according to agreed access arrangements and following work health and safety (WHS) procedures. |
3.2. | Extent to which access to facility from property boundary, car park or passenger set-down area complies with requirements for access for people with disabilities is determined using access audit checklist criteria. | ||
3.3. | Facility amenities that do not meet minimum requirements of audit checklist or comply with access requirements for people with disabilities in target age group are determined and recorded. | ||
3.4. | Strategies that address areas of access non-compliance are developed, including strategies for alternative means of providing full access for facility users. | ||
4. | Finalise access audit report. | 4.1. | Draft access audit report for client that satisfies contractual arrangements is prepared according to organisational requirements. |
4.2. | Feedback on draft report is sought and incorporated according to organisational requirements, and report is completed. | ||
4.3. | Access audit report and associated documentation are forwarded to client according to organisational requirements and contractual arrangements. | ||
4.4. | Audit report follow-up with client is provided as required and according to organisational requirements and contractual arrangements. | ||
4.5. | Copy of access audit report and associated documentation is retained according to organisational and legislative requirements. |
Evidence of Performance
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must satisfy the requirements of the elements, performance criteria, foundation skills and range of conditions of this unit.
The person must also:
conduct an access audit of:
one facility providing low-level aged care
one facility providing high-level aged care
develop and apply an access audit checklist for each, detailing facility-specific criteria for consideration in audit
provide a report relating to each of the above audits, that:
describes facility accessibility, with clear links to the facility-specific audit checklist criteria
interprets the impact of the full range of disabilities and the limitations that each disability places on the individual’s ability to access the environment
advises on facility compliance with legislative requirements and usability by those with disabilities
fulfils contractual requirements with client
recommends, where required, corrective actions to:
enhance facility accessibility
overcome areas of access non-compliance, including strategies for alternative means of providing full access for users.
In conducting the above access audits, the person must:
use effective consultation skills with clients and other key stakeholders to confirm and elicit access audit information
read and interpret aged care facility plans
interpret and apply legislative requirements relating to disability access, including building legislation and standards for the provision of access, and evaluate the provision of access in relation to those requirements
interpret how the full range of environmental barriers impacts on people with a range of disabilities and impairments
use research skills to source information that assists in developing potential solutions to the provision of adequate access
use measurement tools in line with manufacturer specifications and record collected data accurately
apply and adhere to facility-specific work health and safety (WHS) requirements.
Evidence of Knowledge
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must demonstrate knowledge of:
key requirements of the following relating to determining accessibility of aged care facilities and conducting aged care facility access audits:
aged care regulations relating to facilities and their amenities
Australian standards relating to facility accessibility, including:
AS 1428.1 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access - New building work
AS 428.2 Design for access and mobility - Enhanced and additional requirements - Buildings and facilities
building legislation, regulations and standards:
Building Code of Australia
Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
DDA Premises Standards
state or territory regulations relating to facility accessibility
fire and WHS legislation relating to safety
disability awareness to inform facility audit, including:
range of disabilities to be considered when conducting facility audit
disability-specific physical barriers to accessing facility and its amenities
disability-specific minimum requirements for enhancing facility accessibility
organisational requirements relating to conducting access audits of aged care facilities, including:
client service standards
procedures for developing facility-specific audit checklists
client privacy, confidentiality and security requirements
processes for recording collected audit data and administering records
procedures for writing and storing access audit reports
quality assurance requirements
limitations of own work role, responsibility and professional abilities with regard to above access audits
WHS procedures relating to access audits of aged care facilities, including procedures for:
identifying hazards and controlling risks associated with conducting access audits
selecting and using personal protective equipment (PPE) required for above access audits.
Assessment Conditions
The following must be present and available to learners during assessment activities:
equipment:
PPE required for the aged care facility access audits specified in the performance evidence
computer and software to access, retrieve, store and distribute audit-specific documentation
specifications:
aged care regulations relating to facilities and their amenities
Australian standards relating to facility accessibility, including:
AS 1428.1 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access - New building work
AS 428.2 Design for access and mobility - Enhanced and additional requirements - Buildings and facilities
building legislation, regulations and standards:
Building Code of Australia
DDA
DDA Premises Standards
state or territory regulations relating to facility accessibility
fire and WHS legislation relating to safety
manufacturer specifications relating to equipment required to conduct access audit
relationships, including consultation with:
diverse range of clients, including:
aged care facility owner or manager
architect, building designer, developer or builder
commonwealth, state or territory department of health or aged care representatives
building certifier and surveyor
colleagues.
Timeframe:
in line with timeframe in audit contractual arrangements.
Assessor requirements
As a minimum, assessors must satisfy the assessor requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) current at the time of assessment.
Foundation Skills
This section describes the language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills essential to performance in this unit but not explicit in the performance criteria. | |
Skill | Performance feature |
Learning skills to: | maintain knowledge of current codes, standards, regulations, practices and industry updates relating to aged care facility access matters. |
Numeracy skills to: | interpret and use ratios and scales to analyse design and dimensions of aged care facility areas and amenities against access requirements and provision. |
Oral communication skills to: | facilitate discussion with clients to explore audit needs and proposed audit recommendations, demonstrating: command of language to convey information relating to the provision of access in a clear and accessible manner communication techniques suited to individual clients and required to clarify and elicit information convey knowledge and ideas through oral and visual means. |
Reading skills to: | read a range of complex texts and extract information relating to access requirements and specific facility audits identify and assess information in complex text, facility plans, diagrams, graphs and charts to track compliance of facilities with accessibility requirements interpret building industry and aged care terminology. |
Writing skills to: | write plain English audit reports that meet client requirements and detail accessibility audit outcomes that: are based on consultation with stakeholders and a detailed analysis of facility environmental and physical characteristics impacting on access represent and convey the needs of diverse disabilities and impairments. |
Digital literacy skills to: | apply information technology and computer skills when accessing and preparing audit support documentation and reports. |
Initiative and enterprise skills to: | use opportunities to facilitate change for greater disability access. |
Range Statement
This section specifies 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. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. | |
Documentation required for audit must include: | manufacturer specifications relating to audit tools and equipment plans of aged care facility to be audited. |
Facility access arrangements must include: | access and egress points keys, passes and security clearances timing of access WHS requirements, including required personal protective equipment (PPE). |
Access audit checklist must include: | access audit report form aged care facility identification and data sheet minimum requirements summary sheets for facility amenities and special areas for: accessible facility entrances and exits accessible paths of travel to and within all areas of facility, including: building-accessible paths of travel facility-accessible paths and elements controls for doors, switches, and power points directional signage communal areas, such as kitchens, dining rooms, lounge rooms, recreational rooms and laundries individual amenities, including toilets and showers on-site parking, reserved disability parking, and passenger set-down zones personal accommodation for facility users safety and security equipment and procedures security alarm pads and help points special purpose facilities, such as medical amenities, minor medical procedures room, physiotherapy room and dementia ward staff service areas tactile ground surface indicators technical requirements for access audit forms additional to above minimum requirements: drinking fountains exterior access paths gates and doors ramps, including kerb ramps and step ramps staff sanitary stations stairs telephones. |
Required audit personnel must include at least one of the following: | identified audit contact aged care facility owner aged care facility manager architect, building designer, developer or builder commonwealth, state or territory department of health or aged care representative building certifier or surveyor. |
Facility amenities must include at least eight of the following: | assembly hall car parking caretaker buildings and equipment storage dining facilities, canteen and eating areas drinking fountains facilities for special needs minor medical procedures room office and administration building recreational facilities facility user communal areas personal accommodation for facility users staff rooms toilets. |
Access requirements must include those of: | aged care regulations relating to facilities and their amenities Australian standards relating to facility accessibility, including: AS 1428.1 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access - New building work AS 428.2 Design for access and mobility - Enhanced and additional requirements - Buildings and facilities building legislation, regulations and standards: Building Code of Australia DDA DDA Premises Standards state or territory regulations relating to facility accessibility fire and WHS legislation relating to safety. |
Access audit report | advice on compliance with existing legislation and usability by people with disabilities description of accessibility where required by client brief, recommendations for corrective action. |
Sectors
Access consulting